More than 1000 fines issued at car meetings in Horst and Maasbree

Gebied: Horst/Maasbree

A group of car enthusiasts gathered Friday evening at a parking lot on Witveldweg in Horst. It was clearly a car meeting. Police quickly arrived and intervened. All 1000 attendees received fines for gathering. Shortly after the Horst meeting, reports came in of cars gathering in Maasbree, where police also took action. One person was arrested for carrying a replica weapon.

Around 10:10 PM, the first cars gathered at a parking lot on Witveldweg in Horst. Upon police arrival, approximately 500 cars were present. Donuts were being driven, fireworks were set off, and public order was disturbed. Police ensured no more cars could reach the gathering spot. Drivers attempting to join were turned away. All drivers present were fined one by one after the driver and any passengers were checked. A German man was arrested for carrying a replica weapon. It took until 5:00 AM to fine everyone. The majority of cars came from Germany, with some Dutch vehicles as well.

In Maasbree, around 11:00 PM, various vehicles gathered near Lange Heide. About 400 cars were present, and here too, disturbances were caused by fireworks and public order disruption. One car drove through the fence of a nearby campsite. About fifty cars caused disturbances at the campsite. Besides German and Dutch license plates, Belgian and French plates were also present. Police issued dozens of fines.

Highest Priority
Previous car meetings, which caused significant disturbances and included violence against police officers, have made the police prioritize these activities. Agreements with municipalities have been made to act quickly and prioritize efforts against car meetings. This resulted in a large police presence Friday evening. Mayor Vlecken (Weert) represents the municipalities in North and Central Limburg and is closely involved in the approach. He wants to unite all involved parties. Mayor Vlecken: ‘These car meetings have nothing to do with a love for cars. They are people who deliberately cause disturbances. Recent incidents have shown that these are often large groups of drivers behaving more like troublemakers than car enthusiasts.’

Cooperation
Thanks to prioritization and cooperation with police from across Limburg province, supplemented by officers from Brabant, the situation after police arrival proceeded without serious violence. The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar) and the Cross-border Police Team (GPT) also contributed to tackling the car meetings. No one was injured.