VVD and Leefbaar angry about violence at Rotterdam Summer Carnival

The coalition parties Leefbaar Rotterdam and VVD are not satisfied with the course of the Rotterdam Summer Carnival on Saturday. There were two shootings at the well-attended event. In the second violent incident, three people were injured.

According to Leefbaar, a cancellation of the party should be considered. "Another shooting! Things can never go back to normal. Every year the summer carnival - which should be a nice party - turns into a war zone. We can't put up with that. As far as Leefbaar is concerned, we should seriously consider ending the Summer Carnival. Ideally, we too would just like to have a nice party, but under these Wild West conditions, it is no longer acceptable," the party wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"A fun event that many Rotterdammers enjoy gets a bitter taste. The shooting joins a pattern of violent incidents that occur year after year at the Summer Carnival," the VVD wrote.

The party will ask the municipal board questions about the number of violent incidents during the Summer Carnival. The VVD draws a comparison with similar acts of violence that ended another mass event in the city, the dance parade, in 2010.

"It is, of course, totally unacceptable that the summer carnival was marred by violence," Deputy Mayor Tim Versnel said in a reaction to the events. "I sympathize with all the people and children who had to witness this. The police are now establishing the facts and investigating all the incidents. That needs to be done properly now. Questions about the future are understandable, but will come afterwards," Versnel said.

More than 2,500 dancers, 25 carnival groups, and countless floats take part in the summer carnival in Rotterdam every year. The highlight of the festival is the street parade on Saturday, Nu.nl reported.