The Eindhoven city council will help to ensure that the torchlight procession can take place next year. Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem said this, after questions from VVD political party. The opposition fraction is disappointed that the torchlight procession will not take place on Christmas Eve this year and therefore sounded the alarm.
“At a time when peace, tolerance and solidarity are under pressure, a tradition such as the Fakkeltocht (torchlight procession) is essential to promote connection within our diverse city”, VVD (people’s party for freedom and democracy) Eindhoven writes. “It is an event with a symbolic value and we were therefore surprised that it was cancelled for 2024”.
When the Fakkeltocht was cancelled, Mayor Dijsselbloem and Alderman Samir Toub tried to intervene, but that attempt was unsuccessful.
Help
“We tried to help the event to go ahead”, Dijsselbloem said about this during the council meeting on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, that was no longer possible and we regret that very much. It is an event that radiates enormous power in its simplicity, a beautiful tradition”.
VVD wanted to know whether the council plans to help the parties involved to let the event go ahead again in 2025. The city council responded positively. “The organisation has indicated that it will try to get all parties back to the table next year. We will try to help where we can”, the Mayor said.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
