Despite the fireworks ban in twelve cities, there was plenty of banging on Saturday night to ring in the new year. In cities where a ban was in place, it was not enforced. In Rotterdam, for example, the police watched as decorative fireworks were set off at the Erasmus Bridge, the site of the professional fireworks show, which was canceled due to bad weather.
After two corona years in which a national ban on fireworks applied, municipalities were allowed to decide for themselves whether to introduce a ban. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Schiedam, Soest, Apeldoorn and Haarlem, among others, opted for this. Now that this has not been enforced in the cities in question, the question arises: what to do with the fireworks ban?
Hubert Bruls, mayor of Nijmegen and chairman of the Security Council, looks ahead. Fireworks were also not allowed in his city. But achieving a properly functioning ban will take years, says Bruls in a telephone interview on Sunday.
The fireworks ban was not enforced on Saturday night. How to proceed with that?
“This year was the first time in history that a small group of cities had a complete ban on fireworks. I have kept in mind that it will take several years before that happens. Compared to 2019 – the last year in which everything was still allowed – it was already less intense this year, we are not back to square one. A lot of fireworks have been confiscated in advance. In general, much less fireworks were set off thanks to the ban, and we see a decline there. We still saw the ornamental work.”
v fireworks ban hardly prevents anyone from setting off fireworks. Legal or not.
Ed Rocket fireworks property.
?photo eric brinkhorst
ANP, Eric Brinkhorst
Why didn’t the police intervene in cities with a ban?
“There was hardly any local communication against the national situation. The message was: decorative fireworks are allowed, bang fireworks are not, but in a number of municipalities both are not allowed. For example, a complete ban applied in Nijmegen, while that was allowed in nearby Berg en Dal.
“It is a confusing message for people. For example, responsible minister Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius (VVD) said on Saturday that decorative fireworks are allowed. Completely understandable from her perspective. But Nijmegen citizens hear that too. That is a complicating factor.
“You can ask yourself whether this country is big enough to allow such differences. But the House of Representatives has rejected the bill for a nationwide ban. Any communication expert would find this a complicated task. Moreover, fireworks were allowed to be sold everywhere. I can’t forbid that, otherwise I certainly would have done it.”
What does it take for a fireworks ban to succeed?
“I don’t believe in a society where everything is enforced by the police. People have to believe in it. That is why it is also a multi-year plan. Did you think that driving through a red light always gets fined? It also took years for the smoking ban to take effect. It started with entrepreneurs who themselves included smoke-free zones in the café, without enforcement.
“You have to pursue a consistent policy and consistently convey a message to people. It’s about the damage caused by amateur fireworks. In Nijmegen we saw this year that there was less misuse of fireworks, there were fewer fires. In a city like Paris, you see that a ban works well because people behave accordingly. Offering alternatives also works, a party on the street can also be done without fireworks.
“My hope is that within the Security Council we will get all 345 municipalities on board with the fireworks ban. This year there were twelve municipalities, and although large cities such as Amsterdam were included, there are not many. I think there will be more.”
Read also: On a fireworks hunt in Hoek van Holland: Enforcement is only possible with a ‘red act’