Groningen furious at Vindicat after tumult in city buses | Inland

Around 11.15 pm, the police responded to a report of nuisance at Kardinge sports center, where there was said to be a fight. However, it was a fuss about city buses on their way to the center of Groningen.

Taps unscrewed

According to carrier Qbuzz, passengers entered the bus with cans of beer and cigarettes, emergency hammers were pulled and people were pressing the emergency button. The air valves at the entrance and exit doors were also loosened, so that the bus could not continue.

Qbuzz is currently making an inventory of the damage and says it wants to talk to its drivers first about the events and to talk to the student association. The carrier will decide later whether a declaration will be made. “It was especially intimidating for the drivers and other travelers,” said spokesman Michel van der Mark.

Due to the tumult, carrier Qbuzz stopped the rides. Revelers then went to the city center on foot, which also caused nuisance.

ME on the spot

An ME bus was elsewhere in the city because of a FC Groningen match and drove to Kardinge. But that was it, ME officers did not intervene. Police spokesman Thijs Damstra cannot indicate whether any arrests have been made.

Party chairman Jimmy Dijk of the SP is completely done with it. “It is time to close the tent for a longer period of time. Association closed. Unlearn this behavior. It’s because of a culture of shitting on the rest of society. So you have to intervene urgently. The time for talking has been over for years.”

“Incorrigible repeat offenders tackled with velvet gloves”

The Groningen student association Vindicat has often been discredited in recent years. Dijk: “They never learn. The velvet gloves of the mayor and aldermen have to take off. Where loiterers in our neighborhoods are dealt with harshly, where bars and cafes that break the rules are fined or have to close, these incorrigible repeat offenders are approached with velvet gloves.”

Other politicians are also concerned. Group chairman Ton van Kesteren of the PVV in Groningen responds: „I do not think this is possible. Punish the perpetrators and recover all damage from them,” says Van Kesteren. “By the way, it’s good of the drivers that they don’t want to transport these amok makers.”

‘Shame on the city’

“A disgrace for the municipality, a disgrace for the city,” says Amrut Sijbolts, leader of the City Party. “Increase the pressure to change this culture. These are excesses.”

Friday evening’s event is cheerfully known as ‘Playing outside’. “Apparently they can’t play indoors? This is running out of scuppers, this has to be done and we’re done with it. We want everything to be examined and ask questions to the mayor. We want to talk about that next week. We want to know what the mayor is really going to do, you can’t do this.” The City Party also wants to know what the Groningen educational world, such as the University of Groningen, thinks about the incident.

A member of Vindicat watches the commotion with concern. “I was there on Friday evening until about nine o’clock. At the time, the atmosphere was friendly and cosy.”

Vindicat reports in a statement: ‘As far as we can see now, the permits for the party have been in order, there was sufficient security at the party location and the correct procedures were followed. The fact that disturbances nevertheless occurred outside the party location is probably due to the bad weather that many more partygoers wanted to return home by bus than had been anticipated in advance, resulting in congestion at the buses, which in some situations led to misconduct. has lead. It goes without saying that Vindicat strongly disapproves of any form of destruction and violence.’

The association states that it will assist the police in finding out who is responsible for damage and nuisance. ‘If indeed it turns out that members of our association have been involved, we will take measures to prevent this.’

Residents near the popular recreational lake where the party was held did not notice much of the fuss. “The party is every year. This time it was packed, I walked past it myself,” says a man who pauses at the party site during a walk. “Leave them, I was young too.”

Sjoerd Wildschut is fishing. “We heard it right in Beijum. I get it, after corona. But such a bus is of course a shame.”

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