The Dutch parliament was suspended for the day Thursday after a man threw himself from the public gallery, police said. "A 65-year-old man was injured when he jumped from the public gallery in the lower house of parliament," police said in a statement.
Liberal MP Arno Rutte was speaking during a debate on organised crime when the incident happened, with the house cameras capturing the cries of those in the room, and the shock on Rutte's face. Security guards rushed to the man's aid, and he was swiftly taken to hospital. His condition was not immediately known.
He was reportedly an activist battling for the full legislation of cannabis, and wanted to "wake up the politicians," according to a letter found on social media and quoted by the Dutch press. House speaker Khadija Arib said she had been "very shocked" by the incident, but she thought that "luckily he was doing well," NOS public television said. According to NOS, it's not the first time someone has jumped from the public gallery. In 2005, an Englishman, from a group representing divorced fathers, broke both ankles in a similar jump.
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