Den Haag working with groups for Sept 20 mass protest

The municipality of The Hague is coming together with the police to gain an overview of the scope of the demonstrations planned for the 20th of September on the Malieveld. To do this, the authorities will meet with the organizers of the demonstrations, the municipality announces on Monday. 

After The Hague's Mayor Jozias van Aartsen decided earlier that there would be no demonstrations in The Hague's residential neighborhoods for the coming months, groups have designated the Malieveld, essentially an open field close to the train station, as the new location.

The decision was made in an effort to avoid irregularities and disruptions to residents. The meetings will now be held to give the city's authorities an idea of what the organizations exactly have planned for the coming demonstrations, to make sure these do not get out of hand.

Pro Patria is one of the seven organizers of the demonstrations. They want to hold a second 'march for freedom' in the Transvaal, a neighborhood close to the Schilderswijk neighborhood. The Netherlands Folk Union (NVU) wants to go to the Schilderswijk. The Islamic Muslim Defence League Holland (MDL) and the Party of Unity want to block both neighborhoods.

The demonstrators can choose other locations. The point of the ban is to cover residential neighborhoods, so public gathering places such as the Malieveld, the Plein and the Lange Voorhout are still viable options. Previously, groups have said that they specifically choose residential areas as this is where the problems they speak out about play out in daily life.

The municipality and the police will let the organizations know "at an as of yet undecided date" "what is able and what is allowed to happen."