“I will stand in front of these people, and I expect that we will come to a solution together.” With these words, alderman Gijsbert van Iterson Scholten managed to remove the greatest suspicion and anger from the Alkmaar caravan dwellers. After two incidents and a disturbing e-mail, the group to stay in the chalets today, but they are now willing to leave the site again.
This afternoon the alderman came by again, trying to pull the fuse out of the powder keg. This eventually worked, as can be seen in the above report by media partner Alkmaar Centraal. “It shows how weak these people’s trust in the government is. And I understand that when you see what their history has been over the past 35 years,” said Van Iterson Scholten. The group will have left the site by 7 p.m. this evening.
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Lack of pitches
Last Sunday, the group occupied twelve chalets at sports complex ‘t Lood, at the Flamingo’s football club. The mobile homes are intended for the reception of Ukrainian refugees, who will move there next month. With the action, the caravan dwellers protested against the lack of parking spaces in the municipality.
The alderman signed an agreement with the group yesterday. It states, among other things, that from now on there will be consultations between the two parties every eight weeks and that the municipality will make every effort to find extra places for caravans within three years. The condition was that the chalets would be vacated before 9 am this morning.
Incidents
Last night it turned out that there were security guards at the site and that one of the caravan residents could no longer enter the site to get things. The same thing happened this morning, but “I was caught in a neck clamp by the guard,” the victim told NH Nieuws. The man is going to report assault.
In addition, the group received an email from the municipality last night, in which answers were given to questions about the Triangle in the Vroonermeer. At that location on the north side of Alkmaar, there would already be eleven standing places. But the email contradicts that certainty. The group then decided to retake the chalets.
Security
The municipality has announced that the site is monitored with security guards and cameras to prevent improper use of the complex.