New Years Eve and Fireworks – A Need For Change in NL?

If you are a friend of mine on Facebook or have followed me on Twitter, you’re fully aware that my anxiety levels were through the roof this year during the holidays.  Mainly between Christmas and New Years.

Why?  – Because of the firecrackers, bangers, fireworks and everything else that went off causing my dogs to spin circles.  It’s not just that they wake me up and make me nearly jump out of my skin every five minutes, but they have my dogs totally behind themselves the entire time.   That gets to me because I can’t figure out how to sooth their nervousness without giving into it and feeding it.  It’s frustrating and unnecessary!

I wouldn’t mind if it was just like everywhere else, fireworks going off at midnight.  That is fun and exciting!   A week (or more!) of constant banging is an entirely different kettle of fish.

I was just reading an interesting article on Expatica in regards to this very topic.  Here are a few snippits.

Incidents and accidents
From 10am New Year’s Eve until 2am on New Year’s Day, the Dutch streets could be mistaken for a military zone. This is the only time of the year that Dutch law allows the public to use fireworks.
According to figures from the Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), reported in Elsevier Nieuws on 2 January 2009, there were 7,641 reported firework related ‘incidents’ across the Netherlands over New Year.

The celebrations to see 2009 in resulted in:
•    2,753 reported crimes relating to violence, mishandling, arson and vandalism
•    1,370 cases of arson,
•    800 arrests,
•    more than 325 people admitted to hospitals with firework injuries,
•    216 vehicles set alight,
•    97 incidences of violent behaviour against emergency services personnel,
•    four schools burning,
•    two people losing an eye,
•    one fatality.

Dutch tradition
Fireworks at New Year are a long-standing Dutch tradition, and signify chasing the spirits of the old year away.
Similarly, the custom of the vreugdevuur, (usually fuelled by burning Christmas trees) is a symbol of purging the old for the new.
However, many Dutch are considering the evolution of New Year’s Eve activities and questioning whether the fires and fireworks now have any real ties to the traditions of old.

According to an investigation undertaken by the Police Academy in 2007, it has become ingrained into Dutch culture that at New Year, anything goes. The report concluded that the Netherlands has a fundamental problem with violence and vandalism at this time of year.

Ok – Seriously?!!  When do you decide to put tradition aside for the sake of the safety of everyone involved?

We didn’t go out on New Years this year because we couldn’t stand the thought of leaving the dogs alone.  We did go for a walk around the neighbourhood though and after about 10 minutes we legged it back to the house because we just didn’t feel safe.   At one point this dude with a mohawk was setting fireworks off in front of our building, and he seemed to get great enjoyment out of the fact that they went every direction other than UP!

We even stood slackjawed as he and his friends laughed their heads off as a fireworks smashed into the window and balcony of the senior’s complex across from us.

If people could be responsible I would be ok with it.   If they stuck to the LEGAL period of time when the fireworks can be set off, found safer places to do it and took better care of where the fireworks were going – fine.  Fill yer boots, I say.   They don’t though.  They stand right in front of apartment buildings, in the middle of full parking lots and in playgrounds and shoot them every which way.

When I first moved here, and until just a few years ago, I loved the fireworks… but I don’t think I’m imagining it when I think it’s getting way out of hand in the last 2-3 years.   Apparently last year they took preventative measures which did lead to a decrease in vandalism this year, but going from a shitload to a whole lot doesn’t make for a nice evening really.  It’s still bad.

Here is a quote from the same article about what has been done and the difference this year.

Prevention
Government departments, councils, emergency services and local groups co-operated during 2008 to implement measures to minimise the damage following the widespread rioting and destruction at the end of 2007.
Local councils, as a matter of course, take action to protect or remove public property; rubbish bins disappear from the streets around Christmas and post box openings are narrowed to stop vandals throwing fireworks in.
In addition, this time around, the police set up an anonymous tip line for citizens to report troublemakers for anything from handling illegal fireworks to arson and vandalism.

The BZK launched a national campaign to combat violence against emergency services personnel after 14 percent of those arrested the previous year committed violent acts against ambulance, police and fire service staff.
The four big cities of the Randstad introduced supersnelrecht to ensure swift prosecutions for those arrested over the New Year with courts already open on 2 January to hear cases.

Six times as many reinforcements were available from the national police service, Korps landelijke politiediensten (KLPD), than last year to support regional forces, and police made home visits to talk to known troublemakers.
In the Haaglanden region, special ‘car fire’ teams were set up as a preventive measure as more than 100 cars were set alight a year ago in the Hague area.

Happy 2009
The consensus seems to be that the celebrations this time around were quieter than last.

Arsonists set fire to ‘only’ four schools this year, compared to 23 last year.  In Zuid-Holland, there were ten percent fewer calls to the emergency services this year than last, and in The Hague vandals set fire to 50 cars, half of the damage done in 2007/8.

However, whilst the damage is less, there is still justified consternation from different parts of Dutch society following incidents across the country.
It was necessary to deploy riot police (ME) in Haarlem to protect fire officers, 150 people threw bottles and stones at police in Rotterdam and in Nijmegen a group bombarded police and fire officers with Molotov cocktails.

In Wijchen, a police station was the target of a firebomb and in Uddel emergency service crews had bottles thrown at them. Police made 52 arrests in Friesland for obstructing the emergency services.

Oh, only four schools on fire – problem solved!   I’m completely gobsmacked at the fact that people are attacking firemen and other emergency service workers.   What kind of people do that?    You know, even as I said it I saw random faces of the lower class “Rotterdammers” and knew exactly what kind of people would do it.

Thankfully, the last part of the article discusses that there actually are people pushing for change here in the Netherlands.  People who want to ban the legal sale of fireworks completely and have large firework shows put on by each of the cities.  They do have one here in Rotterdam, but that doesn’t stop everyone from lighting their own too.   The problem is that I’m guessing most people in Rotterdam wouldn’t dare venture out in the city center to SEE this big fireworks show, because they are too afraid of what else is out there.

I know I am.

It will be interesting to see how this changes over the coming years.   At some point they will have to make a change.  New Years should be for everyone, not just the hooligans who own the currently own the streets at that time of year.

What are your thoughts?