Three years ago, the Egyptian boat 'Meneer Vrijdag' carried 282 refugees over the Mediterranean. This Saturday, the wooden ship will say the Waal river. During that trip, everybody who is interested can experience what it's like to be a refugee.

On 25 July 2013, 282 refugees were packed together on a wooden sloop. Risking their lives, they were on their way from Egypt to Lampedusa when they were picked up by the Italian coast guard. ‘When the boat sails in Nijmegen, no more than 12 people are allowed on the boat’, says Rob van de Ven. With that, the Radboud Reflects programmer wants to show how big the risk for the refugees was when they stepped on the boat to flee to Europe.

This Saturday, Meneer Vrijdag, as the boat is now called, will set sail on the Waal river, so that passenger can experience what it must have been like for the refugees. It is one of the events that LUX and Radboud Reflects organise to celebrate the Treaties of Nijmegen Medal ceremony this year. During each of the nine trips, a refugee tells a story about his or her way to Europe.

European court
The Treaties of Nijmegen Medal ceremony is a day earlier, on Friday. President Guido Raimondi will accept the award on behalf of the European Court of Human Rights. The medal is a biennial award for people or organisations who have committed for peace in Europe. According to Radboud University, one of the organisers of the award ceremony, the court ‘plays a significant role in the protection of human rights in Europe’. The award is issued by the municipality, the university and NXP Semiconductors N.V.

At the beginning of this year, the Dutch government was reprimanded by the European Court because of the size of refugee camp Heumensoord.

The boat tours are provided by Rederij Lampedusa, a non profit organisation in Amsterdam.