It’s Sunday and that means, of course, that we’re looking back at last week’s news. A week in which, among other things, there was a demonstration against Zwarte Piet in Emmen and in which it became known that there is a culture of fear at Tuinland.
We start on Monday with the protest in the council chamber of the municipality of Emmen. Anti-Zwarte Piet protesters stopped the budget meeting. They protested because the municipality of Emmen does not immediately want to say goodbye to Zwarte Piet during the Sinterklaas entry. Emmen wants to do that gradually.
Some of the protesters were quickly released. The last four were not released until last Thursday, because the police could not yet establish their identity. They are suspected of local trespassing.
On Tuesday, the Public Prosecution Service demanded five years in prison and TBS with conditions against a 47-year-old man from Gasselte. In February, at the Boomkroonpad in Drouwen, he stabbed his one-and-a-half-year-old son in the chest with a knife. He also stabbed himself four times. The judge will rule in two weeks.
The Shepherd’s Tour across the Balloërveld on Christmas Eve is canceled this year. That was announced on Wednesday. Parking around the sheepfold is no longer allowed and there are no alternatives available. According to Staatsbosbeheer, nature is under too much pressure. The organization of the shepherd’s march is disappointed. “It is an almost fairytale-like location and about five thousand people have come to it in recent years. The visitors came from far and wide. It is a pity that it cannot go on now.”
Thursday the news came out about Tuinland. Yelling, swearing and even threats. Employees of garden center Tuinland complain about a culture of fear within the company. According to the staff, the main responsible is one of the two directors of the garden center. The other director – Girbe Drenth – acknowledges that there have been yelling and swearing. He also confirms that personnel have been threatened. “That’s not good, that’s bad. And I’m sure it won’t happen again in the future,” he says. He emphasizes that these are incidents.
And on Friday the Meerveld in Emmen was startled by a big blow. A parked car was badly damaged by a fireworks bomb in the night from Thursday to Friday. “It’s a lot of misery so to speak.” Bewildered, Erin Verdam stands looking at the remains of her car. “I think it was put there deliberately.”