Marechaussee intervenes in ‘threatening situation’ among aggressive passengers at Schiphol

A “very dangerous” situation arose at Schiphol Airport on Sunday evening, in which passengers threatened to clash with each other and the security personnel. The travelers were afraid of missing their flight. The Marechaussee had to intervene in the situation. An attendee opposes NRC that “the safety of employees and passengers was compromised”. Many passengers also threatened to walk past the security checkpoint.

A Schiphol spokesperson admitted on Tuesday that “an incident” had taken place at the security checkpoint at the airport the day before. “The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee intervened when the security guards felt unsafe. We understand that travelers want to travel and catch their flight.” The Marechaussee confirms to have intervened. “We had to act and de-escalate because the situation was so threatening.” According to the spokesman, no arrests have been made.

An insider says there have been fights. Schiphol and the Marechaussee do not want to confirm this. The passengers had been queuing for a long time. While waiting they saw that several security lanes were closing and feared their plane would take off without them. The closures provoked “a lot of resistance”, according to the Marechaussee, after which the impatience of the travelers turned into aggressiveness. “Everything got completely out of hand,” said one attendee.

Travelers at Schiphol often have to deal with long queues. It will also be busy on Monday at the airport, which has been struggling with staff shortages for some time, including in security. In some cases, travelers have to wait for hours. There is a shortage of security guards in more places; for that reason, the municipality of Amsterdam, for example, had to draw a line through the honoring of national champion Ajax on the Museumplein.

With the cooperation of Jan Benjamin.