kropotkindersurprise: September 9 2018 – Nijmegen… SOURCE: antifainternational.tumblr.com]]>September 9 2018 – Nijmegen Reportback:
Around one hundred people joined us under the Waalbrug this afternoon to enjoy our picnic. A few dozen of them got to work cleaning the second pillar of the bridge so the text “refugees welcome” would be legible again. Meanwhile, a large banner was painted with the same text.
The friendly atmosphere was disturbed shortly by a dozen right extremists, mostly from Rotterdam but also with a few familiar faces from Generation Identity, NVU and Nijmegen Rechtsaf; even though that last group had told the press that they would not make an appearance. They threw bottles and fireworks at a defensive cordon of antifascist activists that had formed to prevent them from reaching the picnic; the cordon de-escalated the situation and did not react to the projectiles that were thrown at them, to ensure the safety of all partipants. One of the right extremists, the one who threw the bottles and the fireworks, was eventually arrested by the police.
Luckily, this short disturbance did not spoil the fun. Thanks in equal part to the great weather, the lovely food and the festive music, the event turned out to be a fun afternoon at the Waal waterfront, during which Nijmegen celebrated its solidarity with refugees.
