Dutch police reject rapper’s allegations: Nicki Minaj’s arrest is not about race

Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images

The decision to arrest Nicki Minaj in Amsterdam last weekend was not racially motivated, Dutch police said, adding that it was “annoying that she played this card.”

Her reaction comes after the US rapper was arrested at Schiphol Airport last Saturday and fined 350 euros ($380) after police found dozens of joints in her luggage.

Minaj described her treatment by authorities at the time as “repulsive” and believed it was partly because she was “of a confident other race.”

Now the BBC reports that the Dutch police have refused to do so, quoting a spokesman as saying: “We are just doing our job and it is mandatory to search luggage and arrest a person if we find drugs.”

“The arrest took place around 5:30 p.m. and the release at 9:30 p.m. We stand for a professional organization that treats everyone equally, no matter what happens.”

The BBC quoted a spokesman for the Dutch military police as saying: “I think everything went very smoothly. It is annoying that she pulled this card.”

Minaj had to postpone her performance that evening in Manchester, UK, where 20,000 fans were waiting for her to perform. The performance was rescheduled for this month. She spoke on the livestreaming platform Stationhead this week, where she addressed the incident:

“I don’t know the last time I felt so depressed about not being able to come to Manchester.

“And not only that, but knowing that something is being done to you on purpose. You are a self-aware member of another race, you know?

“But I’m not going to go into detail about how much fun they had, even when I was there. But you know what? There was a woman – all the others were men – and I could see that she had a heart.

“But the treatment was just disgusting. And I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

A police spokesman told BBC News: “We are just doing our job and it is our policy to search luggage and arrest a person if we find drugs.”

“The arrest took place around 5:30 p.m. and the release at 9:30 p.m. We stand for a professional organization that treats everyone equally, no matter what happens.”

At the time, Dutch prosecutors announced that she was carrying 30 to 100 grams of cannabis with her – but Minaj claimed that “the pre-rolled joints” belonged to her security guard.