On the day when the streets turn orange in some places in the country, white predominates in the Zeeland town of Axel. Early Sunday evening, crowds of people dressed in white gather at a furniture store on the north side of town. There begins a silent journey for the victims of the serious traffic accident that took place last Thursday in nearby Terhole.
Three students from group 8 and a female primary school director from Axel were hit by a bicycle on their way to school camp and died, three other students are still in hospital.
The fatal accident left a deep crater in Axel, a town in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen with eight thousand inhabitants. Flags everywhere are flying at half mast. The organizers of the silent procession have asked people to come in white, to emphasize that it is not yet a funeral tonight. Almost everyone has adhered to that dress code. By seven o’clock in the evening, many hundreds of people have gathered at the starting point for the tour that will end at the affected school.
“These are disconcerting days for the people here,” says Mayor Franc Weerwind of the municipality of Terneuzen prior to the tour. “There is a lot of sadness. When you think of the victims, the children who are still in the hospital, all those other students, it is unbelievable. The community here is close-knit. It wants to express its sadness with this trip.”
During the silent procession, people placed flowers at De Warande primary school.
Photo JONAS ROOSENS / ANP
The deceased students and director were hit on Thursday afternoon by a 19-year-old motorist, who was arrested immediately after the accident and is still in custody. It is not yet clear how the accident could happen. A total of fourteen students and their supervisors were on their bikes to camp.
At the front of the procession are the parents of the victims, accompanied by Mayor Weerwind and Hugo de Jonge, the King’s Commissioner in Zeeland. Many people brought flowers or a hug. Everyone is quiet, no one checks their cell phone. The surrounding streets are deserted as the white ribbon of people moves through the town. Many parents hold their own child’s hand tightly. “Good day,” a man whispers. “No, you know, just take that ‘good’ off.”
‘Big shock’
“The atmosphere in Axel is different now,” says Mylo Scherbeijn, who took the initiative for the tour before departure. “It is a big shock for everyone. Everyone feels defeated, sad. Axel is officially a city, but everyone here knows each other. So everyone also knows those children.” According to Scherbeijn, many people from other places in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and further from Zeeland have also come to Axel to show their support.
The organization has set aside two hours for the tour, but after about 45 minutes the procession arrives at the Protestant Christian primary school De Warande, the school of the deceased students and director. A sea of flowers has already formed in front of the entrance of the school in recent days, and it will only get bigger this evening. Arriving at the school, those present observe two minutes of silence in memory of the four dead “and for the children who are still fighting in the hospital” – during the two minutes it is quieter than it already was.
You show with your presence that this is something big that you cannot carry alone, we do it together
Mayor Weerwind ends the tour on the schoolyard with a short, emotional speech. “A deep bow for the organizers, who felt how Zeeland sympathizes and mourns. With the young residents who are no longer here, the children in the hospital and the young people who have experienced this. And with the teachers, who will go back to work here tomorrow. They continue to do what their director always did: they stand for the children.”
“This suffering is heavy and painful. It leaves a void. You show with your presence that this is something big that you cannot bear alone, we do it together,” Weerwind continued. “It is now important to stay close to the affected families and support them. Not only today and tomorrow, but in the near future. A person dies twice. The second time is when they no longer mention your name. So let us continue to mention and remember their names.”
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