The safety measures that were necessary are exceptional. Approximately 3,000 kilos of gingerbread nuts were purchased for the arrival. All those bags of gingerbread nuts were searched in advance to ensure that they did not contain an explosive. All buses that take the Piets from the assembly point to the boat have also been checked by security teams for weapons and explosives. “There were Piets of 16, 17 years old. They were really scared,” Biemolt remembers. “It was a tough morning. The attack had an impact on the Piets.” Gino Spijkerman can also remember it. “A group wanted to get on a bus, but that bus had not yet been checked. They were not allowed in, or they even had to get out.” Biemolt: “That will be in all those heads.”
The attack not only had an impact on all volunteers and those involved. Also on the public. The arrival in Meppel was not the most visited, despite the excellent weather. “At one point we received a phone call that there was a large group of hundreds of people at the Cape Bridges, outside the center. They did not dare to enter the city,” says Spijkerman.
Ultimately, the city was not full during the arrival. Although the number of people there was not counted, it is estimated that there were fewer than previous arrivals. Most likely the threat was related to that. Spijkerman: “But it was great fun. People and children enjoyed themselves.”