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The municipality also sees that it is starting to get busier in the city, but cannot yet give an indication of the number of people in the capital, a spokeswoman said.
The first boats of the Canal Parade departed from Oosterdok around noon. A total of eighty boats sail along in the parade and thousands of people line the canals. The last boat is expected to arrive at the terminus in the Westerdok around 18.00.
Halsema
During the 25th edition of the Canal Parade, the participating vessels all have a message inspired by the theme ‘My Gender, My Pride’. With this theme, the organization calls for extra attention for groups such as transgender people or people who are non-binary.
In the front of the colorful procession, a boat from the municipality of Amsterdam sails with a dancing mayor Femke Halsema on board. The municipality has invited several trans people to sail along.
Femke Halsema will also be present at the event on Saturday.
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Farmer handkerchiefs handed out
Young farmers hand out red handkerchiefs to the visitors of the Canal Parade. On the Latjesbrug over the Nieuwe Herengracht, on the corner of the Entrepotdok, farm girls and boys hand out hundreds of handkerchiefs with their message “solidarity with the farmers.”
The handkerchiefs are the symbol of the farmers’ protests against the government’s nitrogen policy. Sympathizers of the campaign tie a farmer’s handkerchief to their car or wear such a red cloth around their wrist, arm or neck.
There are also tractors along the route in the city. “The municipality has been informed of the presence of the tractors in the city. This was done in good consultation and good agreements have been made about this,” says a spokesperson for the municipality. It concerns a few tractors, which are located at the Hermitage on the Amstel and on the Prins Hendrikkade. The locations are by arrangement with the municipality. “They are allowed to voice a dissenting voice. But of course everything today is all about Pride,” said the spokeswoman.
General Eichelsheim is also sailing along
The Commander of the Armed Forces Onno Eichelsheim will sail along on Saturday during the Canal Parade in Amsterdam. It is the first time that the highest-ranking soldier in the Netherlands has sailed along during the boat parade. He wants to draw attention to “the importance of diversity within the armed forces”, reports the Ministry of Defense.
Eichelsheim emphasizes that the armed forces want to be an organization “with an open culture in which personnel feel valued and are seen.” According to him, there is certainly still a lot to do.
For the tenth time, the Ministry of Defense will sail with its own boat during the Canal Parade. Twice before, the armed forces had been guests on another boat. This year, Defense will sail on a boat decked out as a submarine. According to the department, that is symbolic: “a submarine visibly sailing above the surface.”
The armed forces have been trying to combat homophobia within the organization for some time. Former minister Ank Bijleveld said in 2019 that “homophobia is no longer possible” and that the Defense organization wants an “inclusive and diverse armed forces”.
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