Police to test paint in water canons against problem causing protesters

The police will soon start using paint in water cannons to shoot at disruptive protesters, ensuring they remain recognizable and traceable for a long time. Minister David van Weel of Justice and Security announced this during a TV broadcast of Nieuws van de Dag.

The Cabinet announced on Wednesday that it was looking for an alternative to the ban on face-covering clothing at protests, because it is considered disproportionate and difficult to enforce.

Van Weel did not say whether the “Smurf paint,” as the VVD Minister calls it, is a replacement for that ban. He announced the trial with a laugh, after it was suggested by people during the broadcast.

Van Weel also did not say when and where the police will start filling water cannons with paint.

Amnesty International Nederland is critical of the plan, calling it stigmatizing and ill-advised. “With a water cannon, it is difficult to distinguish between a rioter and a demonstrator. When you fill it with paint, you run the risk of literally labeling peaceful demonstrators as rioters and punishing them for exercising their fundamental right,” a spokeswoman said.

She continued: “Moreover, the police are never allowed to use force against peaceful demonstrators. A water cannon, even without paint, is and remains a serious means of force.”