Tarik Z. meme takes over the Netherlands
The hostage incident from last night has led to a confession by 19-year old Tarik Z., accused of holding a security guard hostage with a fake gun while demanding airtime at NOS. The severe situation led to tightened security measures at Hilversum Media Park and boosted the public safety debate around the country. However even serious incidents have their flip sides.
The Dutch online community rushed to their computers, starting a new meme even while the situation was unfolding. Many of the Photoshopped gems feature screen captions from the arrest video, some with text making jokes about the suspect, him being in the news studio and his demands. An internet meme is an activity, concept, catchphrase or piece of media that usually spreads from person to person over the internet, or is spread in an online community designed for memes and internet media. One of the gags says in Dutch "Ik wilde alleen zeggen, dat het ging sneeuwen" which translates to "I just wanted to say that it's snowing", making fun of the social media trend of reporting and taking pictures every time it snows. Another features Tarik Z. in the news studio with a hamster on the background saying "My presentation is about the hamster".
