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WORLD NEWS Saturday 23 March 2019

Mourners walk silently to honor Utrecht shooting victims

By ALEKSANDAR FURTULA Tanis, a Utrecht resident of
MIKE CORDER Turkish descent, was arrest-
Associated Press ed hours after the shoot-
UTRECHT, Netherlands ing and is being held on
(AP) — The main suspect charges including multiple
in a deadly tram shoot- murder or manslaughter
ing in Utrecht confessed with terrorist intent for the
to the attack and said he deaths of two men and a
acted alone, prosecutors woman.
announced Friday, hours The victims included a fa-
before mourners walked in ther who trained youth
silence through the central teams at a local soccer
Dutch city to honor the vic- club and a woman who
tims. worked in a cafe in a near-
Thousands of people, many by town.
carrying red and white Prosecutors have said the
flowers to match the colors suspect, who has a long
of the city’s flag, walked criminal record, did not
to the scene of Monday’s know any of those who
attack to commemorate were shot on the tram. They
the three people killed and Prime Minister of the Netherlands Rutten talks to people during a silent march to commemorate say the nature of the shoot-
three others who were seri- the victims of a shooting in Utrecht, Netherlands, Friday, March 22, 2019. ing and a note found in a
ously injured in the shoot- Associated Press getaway car led to strong
ing. will never, never surrender said anything about his mo- public prosecutor’s office suspicions of an extremist
Dutch Prime Minister Mark to violent extremism.” tive. said. motive. The team inves-
Rutte, who was among the The shooting is being in- “The 37-year-old suspect Prosecutors did not elabo- tigating the shooting has
walkers, said he was “very vestigated as a possible this morning confessed the rate on the confession and asked a forensic psychiatry
sad and at the same time extremist attack, but pros- criminal acts he is charged said the gunman’s motive and psychology institute to
proud that we can do this ecutors would not say if the with” at a hearing before remains under investiga- carry out a personality test
together and show that we suspect, Gokmen Tanis, has an investigating judge, the tion. on the suspect.q

Belgian carnival may lose UN recognition amid anti-Semitism

By SYLVIE CORBET oclast nature was its es- sentatives have decided to
RAF CASERT sence. The agency’s direc- put the issue on the agen-
Associated Press tor-general Audrey Azoulay da of the next meeting of
PARIS (AP) — The U.N.’s cul- said, “It’s not the first time the Committee that makes
tural agency said Friday it that these racist and anti- decisions on the cultural
could remove Belgium’s Semitic floats parade in heritage list in December in
famed Aalst carnival from this festival,” adding that Colombia. A removal deci-
its cultural heritage list fol- UNESCO’s duty is “to be sion would be a first since
lowing accusations of anti- vigilant and uncompromis- the 2003 Convention that
Semitism during a parade. ing regarding such occur- created the label.
UNESCO, Jewish organiza- rences.” A few days after The Aalst Carnival has been
tions and European author- the March 3 parade, Euro- on the UNESCO cultural
ities have condemned the pean Commission spokes- heritage list since 2010, an
supposed anti-Semitic and man Margaritis Schinas said inscription which doesn’t
racist nature of a parade In this Nov.4, 2017 file photo, the logo of the United Nations “it should be obvious to all entail financial support.
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is
float at the Aalst Carnival seen during the 39th session of the General Conference at the that portraying such rep- UNESCO said the move
that featured stereotypi- UNESCO headquarters in Paris. resentations in the streets also aims at sending a mes-
cal puppets of Jews earlier Associated Press of Europe is absolutely un- sage of “tolerance zero” to
this month. The reaction in mayor Christophe D’haese doesn’t get it” and that the thinkable, 74 years after the all other elements inscribed
Aalst was swift enough, with saying “UNESCO simply festival’s uncensored icon- Holocaust.” UNESCO repre- on the list.q