Three Dead in Shooting in Dutch City of Utrecht: Mayor | Al Jazeera English

Three people are dead and nine wounded after a gunman opened fire in a tram in the central Dutch city of Utrecht says the city's mayor Jan von Zanen.

Dutch authorities have raised the threat level to its highest, and Prime Minister Mark Rutte said all efforts were focusing on the "suspect or suspects" responsible.

Al Jazeera's Fleur Launspach reports from Utrecht.

Utrecht Shooting: A Gunman Opened Fire at Several Locations - BBC News

A gunman has opened fire inside a tram and at several other locations in the Dutch city of Utrecht, authorities say.

Dutch anti-terrorism co-ordinator Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg said all efforts were now focused on catching the gunman. He also said there could be more than one perpetrator.

The threat level has been temporarily raised to its highest point in the province of Utrecht.

Heavily armed police are reportedly gathered outside a house on a street near the 24 Oktoberplein junction, where the tram attack took place, with reports they are preparing to launch a raid.

EDL Founder Tommy Robinson Addresses Pegida Anti-Islam Rally in Holland

THE INDEPENDENT When Robinson announced he was quitting the English Defence League he declared the group was 'part of the problem'

When Tommy Robinson announced two years ago that he was quitting the English Defence League (EDL) and embracing multi-culturalism it was hailed as one of the more improbable volte faces in recent times.

Appearing alongside two former Islamist activists, the EDL founder declared his group to be “part of the problem” and said he would be working with the counter-extremist Quilliam Foundation to combat Islamism.

But this weekend Robinson seemed to have returned to his roots after he travelled to the Netherlands to address a rally of the anti-Islam movement Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident (Pegida) and declared that he was “proud” to have set up the EDL. The far-right figurehead appeared alongside the leaders of Pegida in the Dutch city of Utrecht to call for a day of protest across Europe. He described his former EDL colleagues as “brave and fearless”. Read on and comment » | Cahal Milmo, Chief Reporter |Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Six Arrested during Pegida Demo in Utrecht Face Charges

DUTCH NEWS: At least six of the 10 people arrested during a demonstration by the anti-Islam Pegida movement in The Hague on Saturday face criminal charges, the public prosecution department said on Monday.

One of the 10 people remains in jail. Two have been released without charge and the investigation into two others is continuing, the department said in a statement.

The six will face a range of charges, including public disorder offences, resisting arrest, using violence against a horse and insulting behaviour. The arrests came after fighting broke out with members of a counter-demonstration, despite the efforts of police to keep them separate.

In addition, the department is looking into the speeches made during the rally, particularly that by Raffie Chohan, who is a visible and vocal anti-Islam campaigner, news agency ANP says. » | Monday, October 12, 2015

Mohammed Is Most Popular Boy's Name in Four Biggest Dutch Cities
THE TELEGRAPH: Mohammed, or other variations of the name of Islam's founding prophet, has become the most popular name choice for baby boys in the four biggest cities of the Netherlands.

Information collected by the country's social security agency has found that traditional Dutch names have been displaced in the urban centres of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht as the country's Muslim population grows.

In The Hague variations of the name Mohammed have taken first, second and fifth place in the Dutch capital's league table of most popular names for boys, replacing traditional favourites such as Jan, Luuk, Gijs or Daan.

At a national level the name Mohammed is now the 16th most popular name for boys.

The figures, obtained by the Dutch Elsevier magazine, from the Dutch Social Insurance Bank, or Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB), are different from the official statistics which have in the past counted various spellings of Mohammed, Muhamed, or Muhammad as different names.

Previous government name counts, separating the different versions, have avoided controversy by keeping the name of Islam's founder outside the Dutch top 20 of favourite names for baby boys.

Geert Wilders, leader of the far-Right, anti-Islam Freedom Party, which is currently leading the Dutch opinion polls, has demanded a government investigation following the Daily Telegraph's Aug 8 report that over a fifth of the European Union's population has been forecast to be Muslim by 2050. >>> Bruno Waterfield | Thursday, August 13, 2009

Churches Ask Wilders Not to Show Film
NIS NEWS BULLETIN: UTRECHT, 13/03/08 - The Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) has appealed to MP Geert Wilders not to broadcast his Koran film. "Would it not be a proof of real freedom if you decided not to show the film?" the PKN asked rhetorically.

PKN represents the protestant churches in the Netherlands. Its Secretary General Bas Plaisier invites Wilders to show the film privately at the PKN head office in Utrecht so that they can enter a debate with him if the film is offensive.

"We will watch the film with respect for you and your convictions and discuss the content of the film with you," Plaisier writes in the protestant opinion magazine Centraal Weekblad. "It is possible that all the commotion is unwarranted, and if so, we will say so honestly. But if your film could hurt people and put many thousands of people around the world in danger, will you then reconsider your intentions?"

Plaisier says the church "does not properly understand" what Wilders is trying to do. "Have you ever considered not making use of your freedom to say what you think? Would it not be a proof of real freedom if you decided not to show the film? We would esteem you for this." [Churches Ask Wilders Not to Show Film]

PR-INSIDE:
Council of Europe Warns Dutch Lawmaker Against Releasing Anti-Quran Film - AP

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