After over 300,000 people in the Netherlands petitioned for its cancellation, the municipality of Breda has denied the King’s Day event a permit.
The 538 Orange Day trial event, one of many organised by Fieldlabs, was planned to go ahead next Saturday. Another trial festival planned to go ahead in Lichtenvoorde on May 1 has been postponed indefinitely. Both events expected 10,000 visitors.
While there was a large demand to cancel the trials, over a million people in the Netherlands tried to get a hold of the much sought after tickets. Some were so desperate for tickets, they were willing to pay €15,000 for one.
“Not in keeping with the times”
Chairman of the ACP Police Union, Gerrit van de Kamp, tells the NOS that the approach of the Fieldlabs experiment “is not in keeping with these times.” He says that the €925 million the Dutch government set aside for rapid tests streets for such events should be spent on healthcare.
Those who petitioned against the event called it “a slap in the face of the healthcare providers in the hospital 400 meters away.”
Dutch Cabinet support the event
According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the cancellation of the event is “a pity for the investigation.” They tell the NOS that “the cabinet has indicated that, on the basis of extensive precautions, the Fieldlab event in Breda could have taken place responsibly.”
The spokesperson goes on to say that the cabinet respects Breda’s decision to not grant the permit.
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