will anything really change in 2023?
Repetition of moves
January 2001: Police and fire chiefs are calling for a national fireworks ban for the brand in café ‘t Hemeltje in Volendam.
January 2008: District council members want a fireworks ban for the Amsterdam city center after a major fire on the Herengracht.
December 2008: Ophthalmologist Tjeerd de Faber advocates a national fireworks ban.
December 2009: MPs reject a plan by GroenLinks for fireworks-free streets.
January 2012: Thirty council members and aldermen from various municipalities are asking the cabinet for the possibility of a local fireworks ban.
January 2014: Amsterdam mayor Eberhard van der Laan wants to curb the setting off of fireworks. “I do not want to abolish the fireworks tradition, but it must remain fun.”
January 2015: After a fire in the city center of Alkmaar, mayor Piet Bruinooge wants to ‘stop that fireworks thing’. Even now ophthalmologist De Faber agrees: “This night looks more like war surgery than ophthalmology.”
January 2017: The chief of the National Police, Erik Akerboom, wants a ban on heavy fireworks.
December 2017: The Dutch Safety Board wants a ban on fireworks and flares.
March 2018: VVD MP Erik Ziengs reacts furiously to a leaked cabinet plan for a ban in city centers. Thanks to the support of coalition partners CDA and D66, it is off the table.
May 2019: Chief of Police Akerboom advocates another national obstacle, together with the mayors of the four major cities.
October 2019: The cabinet gives room for local prohibitions. Akerboom attributed to a cluttered ‘patchwork quilt’.
January 2020: After a deadly fire in Arnhem and aggression against agents, Prime Minister Rutte is preparing for measures: “We cannot continue as before.”
February 2020: After Rotterdam, the municipality of Amsterdam wants a fireworks ban in the city.
March 2020: CDA and VVD embrace a national ban on heavy bangs and decorative fireworks. This will take effect the same year.
January 1, 2023: 24 victims in the eye hospital of Tjeerd de Faber, who speaks of ‘a certain horror night’.