In the 19th century an Amsterdam canal was filled in by authorities in a bid to put to an end the working-class street carnivals that were common at the time. One of the crowds' favourite activities was a bizarre game whereby two citizens, each standing in a boat, would fight over an eel suspended on a rope from a bridge above them. The crackdown led to riots that became known as the Palingoproer, or Eel Riots, in July 1886, in which 26 people were killed.
www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/netherlands/
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