:quality(80)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/3fad059e-ce7d-11ea-b951-0217670beecd.jpg "Amersfoort stage of demo against corona measures: ‘One and a half meters no, hugging yes!’ | Inland")
“Well, then you’re going to die, aren’t you?”, A bystander roars at the passing procession in the center of Amersfoort. For a moment the tone seems to have been set, but it turns out to be one of the few dissonances heard against the anti-coronary action process. Megaphones are chanting slogans like ‘coronavirus? Government crisis! “,” One and a half meters no, hugging yes! ” and ‘we want freedom’. Participants hand out flowers and flyers – although only a few people want to accept them – and music is played: ‘If I were to be in charge of the news,’ the city center of Amersfoort echoes. Especially the phrase ‘because I completely ignored all misery’ seems applicable.
The municipality has approved the demonstration. “That was not necessary, but we still wanted to arrange it neatly,” says co-organizer Bianca Wagt. She speaks to the crowded audience ‘with trembling hands’. “I am not a public speaker, so I find it exciting,” she says De Telegraaf. The group may not exceed three hundred people from the municipality, because otherwise the distance of one and a half meters cannot be guaranteed. The demonstration must also adhere to that. “And of course we are fighting against that”, Bianca Wagt explains the strange contradiction. “We are going to stick to it,” was the message beforehand. “People have been frightened by the government and the main stream media. We have to respect that. ”
During the tour, however, that one and a half meter does not apply to the group of demonstrators themselves. Many cuddle and kiss each other. There is no coughing, but in the week that warns about a new revival of the virus, there is still a potential seat of fire through the center of Amersfoort. “Yes, there are some new infections,” organizes Wagt. “But there is also much more testing. Then you also get more positive results. ” In addition, according to her, the corona test is no good, because people would ‘wrongly test positive’. “RIVM itself reports on its website that the test is not reliable.” The RIVM website does indeed mention a non-reliable test, but this concerns quick and home tests.
:quality(50)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/440a6bea-ce7d-11ea-b951-0217670beecd.png)
—
The demonstration was organized by the Freedom & Connection Amersfoort group. but is supported by the national Virus Madness action group. Mordechai Krisache of that organization also addressed the crowd. “We may think now, we are still few,” he says, in the pouring rain. “But if everyone who is here now takes someone else next time, we are already six hundred.” Applause. “And the next time we’ll be over a thousand.” The group hopes for exponential growth, as did the Corona virus in March and April this year.
There is also a man in the crowd who reacts against the coronavirus measures for very different reasons. Erwin is blind and, he explains, is publicly dependent on people. “I know the way in my own street,” says the artist, who was born blind. “But I need guidance in public.” He has been confined to the home since the beginning of the corona crisis. “When I ask people for help, they pretend to be very scary. I don’t get anywhere. ” He says that if he “hadn’t been blind, wouldn’t have been here.” “But I have no choice. I can’t do anything if everyone has to stay a meter and a half away. ”
–
