Maastricht police twice break up massive student gathering

The police in Maastricht twice broke up large gatherings of students on Wednesday night. About a thousand students on bicycles first gathered on Sint Pietersberg. When the police ordered them to leave, they moved to the city park. The police again dispersed the group. No arrests were made.

The gathering on Sint Pietersberg was ended at around 9:00 p.m., the one in the Stadpark at around 10:30 p.m. The students were sent home in a friendly manner, a spokesperson for the police told local broadcaster 1Limburg.

Over the past days, local residents often complained that students were causing nuisance in the Stadpark. A police spokesperson said that the police are in discussions with the municipality of Maastricht on how to tackle this problem. "It takes a lot of capacity for us to enforce," the spokesperson said. "The municipality must come up with a solution."

The municipality of Maastricht will respond later on Thursday, a spokesperson said. Why the students were gathering in large groups, is unclear.