Loud club music, whistles, and even a sousaphone, blared out from the large crowd of protesters as they flooded Groningen’s streets.
#unmuteus protest parades were organized in Groningen, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Uitrecht, Eindhoven, and Nijmegen in response to new Covid regulations announced by the Dutch government. Festivals with more than 750 people have been banned since August 14. In Groningen, this lead to the cancelation of the Hullabaloo and Paradigm festivals. The protestors argue that it is unfair that these “cultural” events have been restricted while large sports events, such as soccer and Formula1, are allowed to continue.
EM2 and 2Join, two local event venues, played a large role in organizing the protest parade in Groningen. They lead the way with large trucks blasting music. Many of the protestors danced energetically as they carried signs which bore familiar slogans of “ik doe niet meer” and “geen prik”.
