Dutch venues can reopen on Saturday without fear of punishment, say police unions

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  • Clubs across the country are planning to break Covid-19 rules in protest of the government's perceived disregard for nightlife.
  • Dutch venues can reopen on Saturday without fear of punishment, say police unions image
  • The police unions in the Netherlands have said venues can reopen this Saturday, February 12th, without fear of being fined or shut down, Het Parool reports. The four unions—ACP, ANPV, Equipe and NPB—released a joint statement yesterday, February 8th, as dozens of venues across the country prepare to flout Covid-19 rules in protest of the government's perceived disregard for nightlife. The reopening campaign is called De Nacht staat op, or "the night stands up." According to the statement, the police will primarily be concerned with "tasks such as emergency aid and services to citizens." That said, they'll be on hand in the event of emergencies at any venues. The unions' decision comes after negotiations on pay, capacity, safety and training broke down last week with the government, NL Times reports. This follows major actions in December to protest against high workloads and understaffing. "Unfortunately, the message of these actions did not get across clearly enough," the unions wrote. This Saturday, tens of thousands of ravers are expected to return to dance floors in the Netherlands. Parties at all the participating clubs in Amsterdam have now sold out, Het Parool reports. Venues in Rotterdam, Amersfoort and Utrecht are also reopening. Earlier this week, nightlife representatives, including OAC (Council of Amsterdam Clubs) chairman Pieter de Kroon, met with government minister Micky Adriaansens, NL Times reports. Despite the planned protest, Adriaansens said clubs wouldn't be officially allowed to reopen earlier than February 15th, when the government is revisiting the issue. "It's clear that some ministers only link nightlife and festivals with the darker side of clubbing, instead of really recognising it as culture or as extremely important safe spaces that are now dearly missed," Vincent Reinders, owner of Amsterdam spot Radio Radio, told Resident Advisor last week. Photo: Max Titov Correction: A previous version of this article translated "De Nacht staat op" as "the night is on." The correct translation is "the night stands up".
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