It has been reported that a 65-year-old man recently ‘tried to commit suicide’ jumping from a public gallery in Dutch parliament.
According to Metro UK, police said the man had something tied around his neck when he jumped, but managed to survive the fall.
Eyewitnesses said the man had been pacing about in an agitated state before tying something to a railing and jumping during a debate, the Telegraaf newspaper reported.
The paper identified him as a cannabis activist who had camped outside parliament for several weeks.
A politician’s shocked reaction as the man jumps (Picture: CEN)
‘I had to do this to wake up the politicians,’ the man reportedly said on Facebook.
Cannabis is technically illegal in the Netherlands, though it is widely available. Despite its status, police do not prosecute people for possession or sale of small amounts.
Shocked lawmakers were seen reacting in horror in footage from the live session. Politicans immediately stopped the debate and rushed to help the man, who hit the ground with a loud thump.
Photos on social media showed the man receiving first aid on a lawmaker’s desk and later being carried out of parliament on a stretcher.