Partygoers from The Hague flout the rules en masse …

On Twitter, images from BBC correspondent Anna Holligan show how the countdown took place in The Hague. The catering industry had to close its doors at 10 p.m., but in order to make good use of the last half hour, there was an exuberant party. On the images you can hear that ‘another half hour’ is being announced. There is also a request to the guests to ‘please’ sit down.

Jan van Zanen, the mayor of The Hague, can hardly believe it: “Celebrating a party now is completely irresponsible. These people don’t care about hard-working health care workers, patients who are in the ICU or whose surgery is now being postponed. Of course people want to party, but with this kind of selfish behavior, the measures only last longer. That way you hit yourself, others and entrepreneurs even harder. We are investigating the whole situation and what steps we can take against this case and its visitors. ”

Shut down

A spokesperson for the police indicates that he is aware of the lavish party on the Square. “Enforcers were present and we stopped the party.” Furthermore, the police cannot say anything about the matter.

An employee of the catering facility where the images appear to have been recorded says he knows nothing about the matter. “I have no idea”, it sounds on the phone. The employee cannot say where it was. She also did not wish to respond.

Also read: Bitter last round before the closure of the catering industry in Maastricht: ‘We are the piss’

Dirk Beljaarts, general director of the Koninklijke Horeca Nederland, calls it unacceptable. “We have seen the images of people partying on the square in The Hague and as Koninklijke Horeca Nederland we distance ourselves from that”, he says.

He believes that you should not be allowed to send out this image and signal at this time. “It’s unacceptable. It also detracts from the carefully built safe hospitality status that thousands of hospitality entrepreneurs and their staff have built up in recent months. It detracts from the warm support expressed for the sector in the House of Representatives debate on Wednesday evening. This is an excess and is not the catering industry. The catering industry is crying tonight and has given everything in recent months to offer a safe place to go out. ”

Comments

PvdA leader Lodewijk Asscher reacted irritated at the parties during the corona debate in the Lower House, just a few meters away. He speaks of a ‘lousy action’ and a slap in the face of entrepreneurs who have to implement the corona measures. And Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld also responds to the images via Twitter: “This is really not possible. Stick to the rules and do it for someone else! ”

Hanneke van der Werf, chairman of D66 The Hague, also expresses her dissatisfaction. “Then you have not understood anything at all. Go on enforcers, don’t let the minority ruin it for the majority any longer. ” Covidiots, says columnist Sjaak Bral. “Never thought I would find something so disgusting.”