GREAT BAY/THE NETHERLANDS--The family of fitness instructor Angelo Bryson, who has close family ties to Curaçao and St. Maarten, is hoping video evidence will play a central role in determining whether he acted in self-defense during a violent confrontation involving a group of six or seven men outside Amsterdam Centraal Station on Saturday evening.
Bryson, 43, who is known online as “Superhuman Unchained,” was arrested after three men suffered stab wounds during the confrontation on De Ruijterkade, behind Amsterdam Centraal. Bryson was himself injured during the fight and was taken to hospital. Dutch police confirmed that none of the three men who suffered slashing wounds remained hospitalized after treatment.
The incident has attracted considerable attention because much of the confrontation was captured during Bryson’s own livestream. His relatives and supporters believe the footage provides important context that should be considered before conclusions are drawn about what happened.
Bryson, a fitness instructor and former competitive powerlifter, regularly records outdoor fitness and motivational videos at public locations in the Netherlands. On Saturday, he was shadowboxing during a livestream when a group of approximately six or seven men began interacting with him.
Bryon's own livestream video shows some members of the group mimicking and harassing Bryson while he exercised. He asks them to stop, they persisted, after which the confrontation becomes increasingly hostile. During the exchange, Bryson can repeatedly be heard telling members of the group not to touch him. At another point, he refers to alcohol while addressing their behavior.
The family’s position is that Bryson did not set out looking for a confrontation and that the full sequence of events, rather than only the final violent moments, must be considered when determining criminal responsibility.
Three men suffered slashing wounds. Two were transported to hospital and a third was treated at the scene. Bryson was also injured during the fight and taken to hospital, where he was placed under arrest. Police have appealed for witnesses and additional footage as investigators attempt to establish precisely how the confrontation developed and the role played by everyone involved.
For Bryson’s family they believe lawyers representing him in the Netherlands should argue that the livestream demonstrates a sustained confrontation involving a significantly larger group, repeated requests from Bryson to be left alone and physical contact before the incident escalated.
The family has also received information alleging that individuals within the group may have been carrying weapons. That allegation has not been confirmed by Dutch police, and the official investigation remains underway.
The family is also concerned that Bryson’s political and religious views are increasingly being injected into public discussion of a case that police are still investigating.
Bryson has publicly supported the Palestinian cause, and photographs of him participating in pro-Palestinian activities have circulated widely since his arrest.
PVV leader and Member of Parliament Geert Wilders entered the controversy by sharing a social media post identifying Bryson as a recent Muslim convert and pro-Palestinian activist in connection with the stabbing. Wilders accompanied the repost with the words “KICK THEM OUT OF HOLLAND.”
The official statement issued by Amsterdam police does not attribute the confrontation to terrorism, religious extremism, Palestine activism or any other ideological motive. Instead, police describe the matter as a stabbing incident arising from a fight and say detectives are investigating the circumstances.
The family argues that Bryson should be judged on what occurred Saturday evening, including what happened before the violence erupted, rather than on photographs from demonstrations or his personal political and religious beliefs.
