The celebration of Liberation Day in Wageningen involves thorough and long preparation by the involved authorities. Risks are mapped out and scenarios are developed. Based on this, it is determined what police and security deployment is necessary. Together with other involved parties, we continuously seek a good balance between the open character of a Liberation Day and ensuring safety. In the Netherlands, the right to demonstrate also applies, and we want to give space to a counter-narrative in an appropriate manner. This is also important for the police: a dignified and open celebration of 80 years of liberation.

May 5 Square

At around 11:15 AM, five people were arrested during the start of the National Celebration at the May 5 Square. They pushed over the barriers and/or disrupted the ceremony by shouting loudly. Climbing over the barriers was not allowed, and shouting was not appropriate for the character of a commemoration. This constituted a disturbance of public order.

These include a 23-year-old man from Arnhem, a 22-year-old woman from Nijmegen, a 40-year-old man from Berkel en Rodenrijs, a 23-year-old man from Nijmegen, and a 22-year-old man from Enschede. All five were interrogated yesterday and released at the end of the afternoon, but they are still suspects. Information about what exactly happened is being recorded and transferred to the Public Prosecution Service. They will determine the next steps for these suspects. The police will not conduct further investigations into other parties involved, as all suspects have been arrested.

Earlier that morning, a demonstration had been announced at another location by the municipality. This went smoothly and is likely unrelated to the actions of the five arrested individuals.

Main Stage Liberation Festival

At 1:00 PM, during a speech by Prime Minister Schoof, in the presence of Polish Prime Minister Tusk, a smoke bomb was thrown onto the stage from the audience. No one was injured, but this certainly caused a great shock among those present. We are investigating who is responsible for throwing the smoke bomb on stage. Therefore, we are doing everything we can to track down the person or persons involved. This includes reviewing camera footage. We urge people to come forward if they know more or if they have camera footage. This can be done via 0900-8844 or through the tip form on politie.nl.

Event Preparation

Before and during the events, there is much cooperation and contact between the organization, police, and municipality. The events are freely and easily accessible to everyone. In Wageningen, many police officers were present, both visibly in uniform and discreetly in plain clothes. Clear agreements were made in advance about the cooperation between security personnel from the organization and the police. This can mean that security personnel intervene first and then the police take over. At the May 5 Square, police officers (both visible and in plain clothes) quickly responded to the incident and made the arrests. Furthermore, the police were continuously alert to signals before and during an event, and based on that, determined what deployment was necessary. This was always in coordination and cooperation with the organization. There were no prior signals known to us about a possible disturbance of public order during the Liberation Festival.

Involved parties will evaluate the preparation for and deployment during the event, in light of what happened.