The elderly enjoy a ’round of the fair’ on Monday afternoon on the Raadhuisplein in Heerhugowaard. But no matter how peaceful the atmosphere is now, it was so grim last weekend. Someone was injured in a fight on Friday evening. After signals of more riots, Mayor Maarten Poorter intervened.
The fairground in Heerhugowaard was open from Saturday to Sunday a safety risk areawhich allowed the police to carry out preventive searches, among other things.
‘No disturbances’
He does not know whether it will have consequences for the future of the fair. “That is also up to politics. I know that new construction will be built at this location. So we have to go somewhere else. I hope that we end up on a more open site, so that we can keep a better eye on everything.”
The municipality did not want to respond substantively on Monday to the disturbances of last weekend. “It was restless at times, the atmosphere was tense at times, but we are not talking about disturbances; we managed to prevent that by setting up a safety risk area,” said a spokesperson.
Officers pelted with glass
Two years ago, the fair in Heerhugowaard got completely out of hand with a fight and destruction. Young people set off heavy fireworks and officers were pelted with glass and stones. As a result, last year additional security measures were taken at the fair.
Klaas Braak is disappointed as the organizer of the new disturbances. “There was a fight between a few girls and then things got restless.” Streeksstad Centraal reported this that evening several teenage girls have been attacked. Braak: “There was contact between young people via telephone calls and then it flared up again. That’s a shame. Don’t fight it out on a fairground, where many people enjoy the fair. It’s a great shame that it is being ruined by certain youth.”
‘Social problem’
It is certainly not the first time that something has gone wrong during a fair. The police were recently attacked in Purmerend by dozens of young people. “It is a social problem,” says Braak. “A fuss can arise at places that attract groups. Look at Zandvoort or Scheveningen. If something happens here five streets away, people immediately say that it is at the fair. That is often unjustified.”
The fair in Heerhugowaard lasts until Wednesday.