Once again there were disturbances in Ursem on New Year’s Day. A group of young people set off illegal fireworks near a school building, causing significant damage to the building. The police intervened, but were then pelted with fireworks. There is great dismay in the West Frisian village.
At the beginning, a large group of young people gather on Batterplein. There is drinking and fireworks, including illegal fireworks. “There were such loud explosions, it looked like war,” says one of the bystanders who came today to see the extent of the damage.
A fire is burning in a barrel. If fireworks are thrown at it, a large sea of flames will appear. The pressure probably caused the windows of the building to burst. The police arrive quickly. Twenty police officers try to restore peace.
Charges carried out and pelted with fireworks
“Unfortunately, that did not work out,” says mayor Monique Bonsen. “Charges were carried out and then fireworks were thrown at the police. That is of course completely terrible. That made the police’s actions very complicated and I was seriously concerned about that.”
Ultimately, the identities of several young people are determined. It is unclear what will happen to them. However, the parents of minor children were already visited by the police yesterday to have a conversation with them.
Serious violent incident
The police speak of a serious incident of violence and call the behavior unacceptable. It is also the sound we hear in Ursem. It is becoming clear that things have kept going wrong in recent years.
“We are now cleaning everything again. It will look like this again next year. It will at least be clean for a year,” says a municipal employee who will come to clean up the glass shards this afternoon, almost cynically.
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The square in front of the building is littered with fireworks remains, glass and cans. Wooden planks were immediately placed in front of the broken windows yesterday. Despite this, the damage does have consequences for the after-school care, which will reopen tomorrow.
Consequences for BSO
“There’s all glass inside, so we can’t go to one room. The windows there also have to be repaired first. Fortunately, we still have other rooms. And we have to make a quick tour around the building tomorrow to see if there’s any more. There is rubbish that can be dangerous for the children,” says a daycare center employee.
The mayor is very disappointed that things have gone wrong again in Ursem. “Also because you know that many people on the square want to meet each other in a pleasant way. I think it is very bad that the party is ruined in this way with the danger to people and property. It could have been much, much worse. There were also a lot of young children there, terrible. I can tell you that it makes you sleep poorly.”