‘Unmute Us’ is a movement pushing for Dutch clubs to reopen on September 1st.
Last Saturday people in Holland took to the streets and demonstrated against the government’s decision to close nightclubs and music venues.
Thousands of people gathered in six cities including Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Rotterdam after it was announced that Dutch nightclubs won’t be opening until the 31st of October at the very earliest.
Those in attendance were calling for the government ban to be lifted on September 1, and people were caring signs that said things like “fight for your right to party” and “music is the answer.”
Clubs in Holland did open for a couple of weeks in June but were closed again after COVID-19 infection rates rose by 500% and Verknipt Festival in Amsterdam got linked to an outbreak of 1,000 new cases.
Currently, one-day events can go ahead in Holland provided people in attendance show proof of vaccination, have recovered from COVID-19 in the last six months or have a recent negative test. Those events are limited to a maximum capacity of 750 people and have some strict health and safety restrictions.
The people who attended the demonstration said it had something of a festival vibe due to the trucks with large sound systems and live DJs. People were dancing and although the demonstration was only scheduled to run between 2 PM and 5 PM, it carried on well into the evening.
Some of Holland’s well-known DJs such as Joris Voorn, Reinier Zonneveld and numerous others played sets…
Reinier Zonneveld in Amsterdam today for the @awakenings Unmute us protest pic.twitter.com/fJi5CFcd5n
— T In Techno (@TinTechno) August 21, 2021
I think we made ourselves heard quite well!@awakenings #unmuteus#unmuteus #awakenings #techno #ansterdam #parade #technoparade pic.twitter.com/uy5otH3089
— Joris Voorn (@jorisvoorn) August 22, 2021