It was several extreme right-wing Defend protest groups that announced an anti-azc demonstration with quite a bit of fanfare on Saturday afternoon in front of the registration center in Ter Apel. It was mainly a colorful parade of (extreme) left-wing groups that met on Saturday afternoon at the agreed location: under a viaduct in Ter Apel, about a kilometer from the registration center. They were there to hold a counter-demonstration. The ‘other side’ was nowhere to be seen for the time being.
Defend Netherlands had suddenly withdrawn the announced demonstration a day earlier. In their own words because they feared too much violence. The police seemed uneasy and were on high alert: already in the morning there were numerous police vans driving around, and police on horseback and on motorcycles. An army of police officers stood around the viaduct.
Button against fascism
On the surface, the spot under the viaduct appears to be the meeting point for a group of people who are going to do something fun together. The atmosphere is cheerful, bottles of water are handed out. An eighteen-year-old boy from Groningen, with boots on his feet, pants full of stitches and a button with ‘no place for fascism’, stands cheerfully among them. The text on the button is his most important message, he says. Racism and fascism must be fought. None of the demonstrators want to go with a last name NRCThey are already being watched enough by the police, they say.
The father of the boy from Groningen is also there. Because of the expensive public transport, his son asked him to take him. The father stayed, he agrees with the message of tolerance. He just doesn’t like the concept of ‘counter-demonstration’. “That can easily get out of hand.” So he is also there out of concern.
There is no need to worry, says Dani Schoofs (18), who is represented by the various participating organizations, such as Rood Groningen, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, the Groninger Student Union, Pink! and MiGreat, has been put forward as press spokesperson. He is delighted with the turnout. “This is a turning point,” he says: the extreme right-wing Defend protest groups that have been demonstrating in all kinds of places against the (possible) arrival of an asylum seeker center will have to deal with a much larger counter-movement, he predicts.
‘1, 2, 3, 4. Refugees welcome here!’
That’s certainly true this Saturday afternoon. The colorful procession of about three hundred demonstrators with rainbow flags, Palestinian scarves and lots of face coverings starts moving around half past one to walk to the registration center. Along the way they chant: ‘1, 2, 3, 4. Refugees welcome here! 5, 6, 7, 8. No fascists in power!’ Police on horseback lead the way.
Britt (surname known to the editors) from MiGreat finds it exciting to participate, because she often finds anti-azc demonstrators to be creepy people who do not shy away from violence. At the same time, she believes a counter-narrative is necessary, asylum seekers are being made into scapegoats. There are quite a few problems in the Netherlands, she says. Take the housing shortage. “But that is because rich people have bought up entire blocks of houses and ask high rents, not because of asylum seekers.” She stands in solidarity with asylum seekers: “Everyone has the right to migrate.”
Once they arrive at the registration center, the demonstrators shout through the high green fences to the asylum seekers that they are welcome. From a distance, a group of asylum seekers waves back. They clap for them and they are sung extensively.
Protesters shout at the asylum seekers that they are welcome
Photos Kees van de Veen
From a distance, a group of asylum seekers waves back.
Photo Kees van de Veen
Behind the backs of the left-wing demonstrators, two groups of anti-azc demonstrators arrive from both sides. They are mainly men, some with a beer in their hand. The police do not want it to come to a confrontation and order them to leave over the loudspeaker. Shortly afterwards they are driven back in line towards Ter Apel by police officers.
‘Lovely village’, Ter Apel
Two neighbors from Ter Apel who have stopped for a moment with their scooter, watch the scene while shaking their heads. I am neither left nor right, says one. Most asylum seekers do not bother them. “It is a small group of young men who ruin it for the rest.”
They think Ter Apel is still a wonderful village to live in. But it has become somewhat unsafe in recent years. “I no longer let my eight-year-old daughter go to the playground alone.” Then they return home.
Anti-azc demonstrators were in the minority.
Photo Kees van de Veen
Robbie van der Klis (36) and Anouk van den Bosch (23) come running from the side where the police were just driving the anti-azc demonstrators. They had wanted to join the demonstrators who care about the asylum seekers. But they arrived too late and ended up among demonstrators from the other side. That was quite scary, but luckily nothing bad happened. They did see an asylum seeker being pushed off the bicycle. Robbie: “We passed that on to the police.”
Robbie: “I understand that people can be afraid of people they don’t know.”
Anouk: “Sure.”
Robbie: “But act normal to each other.”
Anouk: “That aggression is not necessary.”
And then they go. At a trot. This way they can just experience the tail end of the demonstration.
