Disturbances at Fair in Emmeloord: Young People Turn Violent, Fair Closes Early

There have been disturbances for several days in a row at the fair in Emmeloord. Young people turned against the operators of the fair. They feel unsafe, they write Broadcast Flevoland.

Stones and fireworks bombs were thrown at the stalls, among other things. The young people also honored their horns late at night at the stands and sleeping places of the travelers of the fair. “Daddies, moms and little kids are sleeping there. That’s not possible, is it?” said fair organizer René Duursma. “Fair people are used to something, but now they were scared.”

Names were given to the operators, including ‘gypsy’ and ‘cancer Jew’. “You see discrimination in many areas. We are also facing this. It seems that this is a deliberate action against the operators of the fair,” said Dursma.

According to Omroep Flevoland, he was already restless at the fair on Wednesday night. Additional police were deployed on Thursday night due to an argument between several youths. Among other things, blocking posts on the site are said to have been destroyed.

No arrests have been made and police said no injuries have been reported. However, the city says in a statement that dozens of young people were fighting each other and that several acts of vandalism were committed.

Duursma is surprised by the aggression. “We are in the country, and then these problems? That is not possible,” he says.

“I don’t have a good word to say about it,” replied Mayor Roger de Groot of Noordoostpolder, which includes Emmeloord. Atze Lubach-Koers of the National Association of Fairground Business Owners says the attack the “unique situation”.

As a result of the unrest, the mayor has taken measures. For example, the fair had to close at 8pm on Friday night (instead of 11:30pm) and extra security was deployed. This is the first time that these measures were needed at the fair in Emmeloord, according to the town.

But things went wrong. About 110 youths are said to have destroyed property belonging to operators. Discriminatory slogans were also shouted at the operators of the fair. Pictures of this were circulated through social media.

The sale lasts until tonight. It is not yet clear what additional measures will be taken. The mayor says “some young people are already in the picture”. “We will definitely visit them.”