Organizations ‘Alkmaar Kan Het’ and ‘We Promise’ leave in a statement on Facebook managed to cancel the planned demonstration during the Alkmaar Sinterklaas entry. After the external changes of the Pieten, the organization is no longer obliged to do so. The counter-demonstration of ‘Alkmaar Handhaaft’ in collaboration with ‘Pegida’ is also off the table due to the cancellation.
At the insistence of ‘Alkmaar Kan Het’ and ‘We Promise’ at the municipality, they received photos on Monday afternoon showing the changes. The statement states, among other things, that the organizations agree with the external changes of the Pieten and would like to provide them with a ‘chimney-proof quality mark’. They close the statement by wishing everyone in Alkmaar a happy Sinterklaas period.
Chairman of the Sinterklaas Entry Foundation Lida Mathot is ‘extremely happy’ with the outcome. “After the changes in appearance, I had hoped for this outcome, it is a weight of my heart.” Mathot also says that the changes will be permanent. She is confident that the entry will be a beautiful day: “We will have a nice and relaxed entry on Saturday.”