Tonight, from 20.00 onwards, rioters said they would hit the center of Nijmegen, according to rumours on social media. For now, it has been quiet in the streets. The police is present in massive numbers.

Chipboards in front of the windows, terrace furniture moved inside; like an American city preparing for a hurricane, the entrepreneurs around Plein 1944 prepare for possible riots tonight.

Rumours about disturbances in the centre of Nijmegen have been circling on social media since this morning. Tonight at 20.00, rioters are planning to gather at Plein 1944, inspired by last weekend’s riots in, among other cities, Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Urk. On Instagram, Snapchat and messaging service Telegram, messages like ‘we’ll break all the windows’ emerged. Hard core NEC supporters supposedly have announced a counter protest and say they want to protect the city from the rioters.

Keep the peace

However, it seems like it is quiet in Nijmegen. The police is present in massive numbers and all streets to the center have been blocked. An emergency order is in place, which enables police to carry out more thorough checks. Only people who live in the center are allowed in. At Plein ’44, a small group of people gathered, but they have been sent home. One man was arrested.

Mayor Hubert Bruls also showed up. At Plein ’44, he addressed several journalists. In a conversation with local paper De Gelderlander he speaks of ‘a sad night’. ‘But the city is still ours, the city is still mine and not owned by that scum.’

André Hazes

In the meantime, police officers get offered coffee at a student house next to Café van Rijn. To keep the spirits up, the students are playing some music by national hero André Hazes.