Dutch flags, protest songs and balaclavas: last night around two hundred people demonstrated at the town hall in Heemskerk against the arrival of an asylum seeker center. Supporters of the asylum seekers’ center also attended the demonstration, but thanks to extensive security measures, a confrontation between the two groups did not occur.
The town hall in Heemskerk looks like a fortress on Thursday. The immediate area has been designated as safety risk area. There are fences around the building, a drone flies through the air and police vans drive back and forth in the surrounding streets.
Everything has been prepared for the demonstration against the arrival of an asylum seeker center on the border of Uitgeest and Heemskerk, a plan that was approved by the municipal council in June. last year already agreed.
Still, people want to make themselves heard, now that the subject is being discussed again in the council meeting. “Because we fear for our safety,” summarizes a candidate from Heemskerk.
Slogans and songs
The protest erupts at exactly 7 p.m. About two hundred people gather at the revolving door of the town hall, which has now been closed for safety reasons.
Most of the demonstrators are on the right side of the building. With Dutch flags, slogans such as ‘AZC get rid of it’ and anti-immigration music blaring from a large boom box, they make it clear that they are against the arrival of the reception center.
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A lady from Velsen came to Heemskerk especially for the protest. She says that she is not against the reception of ‘real refugees’, but that she is concerned about the composition of the asylum center that has yet to be built. “You can be in favour, but only for the refugees who really need it,” she says. “It is now mainly men who come to the Netherlands and we are really against that.”
A couple from Heemskerk also wanted to make themselves heard last night. They wear hats with the word ‘freedom’ on them. “It is becoming increasingly difficult to live in, there are hardly any new buildings being built and you also have to accommodate all those people. At a certain point, the pot of marbles will overflow.”
‘Welcome to Heemskerk’
A smaller group of about twenty people has gathered on the left side of the town hall to express their opposition. They emphasize that refugees are ‘welcome in Heemskerk’ and speak out against racism.
Earlier in the day, the (mostly older) proponents already gathered at the town hall, this time with about a hundred people. A large banner with the words ‘AZC yes’ formed the centerpiece.
Jan Berghuis, one of the organizers of the pro voice, addressed the group. “We believe that asylum seekers who have to flee home and hearth due to war, violence or oppression should be helped in this country. And that should also happen in Heemskerk and Uitgeest,” he emphasizes.
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There was no actual confrontation between the two groups last night, partly thanks to the large police presence that kept the demonstrators separated. At most, some snowballs were thrown at the proponents and shouted at each other.
Previous demonstrations
Previous demonstrations against the asylum seekers’ center in Heemskerk got out of hand. During a protest on September 25 last year, the hall of the town hall was vandalized and the company restaurant was looted.
At the town hall of Uitgeest, where demonstrations were also held, one was even erected fireworks bomb thrown against a window.
That doesn’t seem to happen last night. Most demonstrators leave around 9 p.m. “It was also very cold,” summarizes a man as he returns home in the falling snow.
