Art Gallery

On a warm spring afternoon in The Hague, a large group of Dutch and international students came together for the Palestinian cause. After eight long months of civilian bombardment, a wave of student-led protests erupted across Europe in support of Palestinian lives and to express concern over their lack of freedom; that wave had finally reached my city.

Not having originally planned to attend the protests, I was sitting at home when I started receiving texts from friends. One read: “Dani, this is something you cannot miss.” Enticed, I hopped on my bike, my small Fujifilm X-S10 at hand, and headed towards my university building in the city center. As I approached ever closer, the roars of students chanting filled the air. I had been seeing pictures all over social media of students, violent or not, being beaten by police officers all over the continent; the tension was palpable.

Upon arriving, I quickly adjusted my settings and shot everything that caught my eye. Onlookers from distant balconies, police officers in riot gear, and masked students. My small camera allowed me to get close to the action without arousing suspicion; several press photographers took the eyes of students and police away from my lens. Briefly. For at one pivotal moment, I noticed an officer removing his riot helmet and started pressing my shutter constantly. Slowly I began to see his face appear in my viewfinder and then, as if I was seeing a mirage, the officer turned his head to face me. Locking eyes with my lens. What followed was the same action from all of his colleagues. One by one, they took off their protective gear in front of a crowd of entirely unarmed students. Cheers and communal exclaims filled the air yet again. Students simultaneously show the peace gesture.

What I had just witnessed felt like a dream. Beyond reality and my comprehension. When the protest settled down and I had packed up my gear, I couldn’t stop thinking: “What was that officer’s prerogative? Did he decide to remove his helmet individually or was he ordered to do so?” These questions raced through my head for days following.

Apart from being a photographer, I am also a student of Political Science, and thus for the first time, I felt that I was exploring both avenues of my interest. My photograph of the police officer ignited conversation among my peers who all asked similar questions. For that, I knew that my experience was unlike any other protest I had attended. This one was special. Instead of misdirected anger and foul justice, it seemed as if peace prevailed against all odds.

Daniel G.R Khan

Other exhibitions:

Peace Through Protest by Daniel G.R Khan

Daniel G.R Khan