De Kom and his family left for Suriname on 20 December 1932 and arrived on 4 January 1933. From that moment on he was closely watched by the colonial authorities. He started a consultancy in his parents' house. Large groups used to gather around the house, because de Kom was helping Javanese and Indians with their re-emigration. Weapons were offered to de Kom for protection, but he refused to take up arms, because he did not want a bloodbath. On 1 February, he was arrested while en route to the office of governor Bram Rutgers with a large group of followers. On both 3 and 4 February, his followers gathered in front of the Attorney General's office to demand De Kom's release. On 7 February, a large crowd gathered on the Oranjeplein (currently called the Onafhankelijkheidsplein). Rumor had it that De Kom was about to be released. When the crowd refused to leave the square, police opened fire, killing two people and wounding 22.
