Project X Haren – Sridianti

In September 2012, a new hype emerged, Project X Haren. A girl creates an ‘event’ on Facebook for a party for her friends. However, the girl, Merte from Haren, forgets to mention that it is a private party. Soon 25,000 people register on Facebook to come along. This was not the intention, a chaotic situation is likely to arise. In this article you can read everything about Project X Haren.

From party to Project X Haren

The girl from Haren who wanted to celebrate her 16th birthday with friends created an event on Facebook. With an event on Facebook you can choose to make it a private event, but unfortunately Merte had forgotten this. Soon many people heard about the party and others renamed it Project X Haren. Named after the American film Project X which is very popular among young people. The party in Haren would take place on Friday, September 21, 2012 at the Stationsweg in Haren. On the day before, Thursday, more than twenty-five thousand people say on Facebook that they are going to the party.

Riots and arrests in Haren

What could have been a fun party unfortunately ended in riots. Things went wrong in Haren around half past nine. It was very busy on the street that runs parallel to the station street. It is estimated that around 3,000 people responded to the Facebook invitation. A small group of them were out to cause riots in the village. Cans, bottles, rocks, bicycles, fences and traffic signs flew around and were broken. The riot police carried out several charges while being pelted with fireworks, sales signs and plants. Several stores have been renovated, including Albert Heijn, which was looted. The atmosphere was frightening, it made a huge impression on residents and partygoers who were not looking for riots. At least 34 people have been arrested. Around a quarter past one at night, the vast majority of visitors to Haren had left.

The latest news about Project X Haren (22-09-2012)

Last updated at 11:43 on 22-09-2012

22-09-2012

11.50: The mayor indicates that an investigation will be started following Friday evening, September 21, 2012.
11.35: The municipality of Haren has opened an information number: 050-3114450. This number can be called for information about the riots in Haren.
11.30: ‘Project Clean-X Haren’ participants no longer need to bring brooms and garbage bags, the intention is now to plant flowers. The Praxis Groningen makes flowers available for this purpose.
11.00: A total of 30 people with injuries sustained in Haren have reported to hospitals.
1.00: A counter-movement has emerged on Facebook, namely Project Clean X Haren. This page calls on people to clean and renovate Haren again on Saturday September 22, 2012 at 12 noon. A good initiative with already 7,500 likes on Facebook.
0.52: The police do not yet have the situation under control.
0.50: Two seriously injured people are in hospital. There are also a number of injured.
0.45: 5 people have been arrested by the police. However, according to the mayor, approximately 20 arrests have been made.

21-09-2012

23.45: A reporter from RTV Noord was allegedly knocked down by the riot police, and a reporter from the Dagblad van het Noorden was also slightly injured when a beer bottle was thrown against his head.
11:30 PM: There is a rumor that a 19-year-old girl has died at Project X Haren, but according to the police spokesperson there is no confirmation of this.
22.15: The police also take images of vandals, who can possibly be arrested later.
9.55 pm: It is estimated that there are now about a thousand people in Haren. Mainly young people.
9.50 pm: Buses are deployed to take the youth from Haren to Groningen. The Haren exit of the A28 has also been closed by the police.
9.40 pm: It is very restless in Haren, it is very busy. There is a lot of glass on the street, fireworks are being set off, lampposts are being moved back and forth and traffic signs and fences are flying through the air.
8 p.m.: The municipality has banned Yellow Claw and Kraantje Pappie from performing in Haren.
6.25 pm: Yellow Claw report that they will perform tonight in Haren, Kraantje Pappie will also perform when he has 30,000 followers on Twitter. (source: Twitter)
3.30 pm: More than 30,000 people have now registered on the official Facebook page to come. The station road has now been closed off with fences and is therefore no longer accessible by car.
3 p.m.: Major TV and radio channels have been spotted in Haren, such as NOS, Simone FM and PowNed (from PowNews).
1.30 pm: It seems to be quite busy on the station road in Haren (published at 1.30 pm), many people want to have their picture taken with Merte’s house.
The police will send unwanted partygoers in Haren to the old Gorecht football fields on the Oosterweg, where two mobile light poles will be placed.
A live stream of Haren can be viewed from 4 p.m. on -this site no longer exists-.
The station road will be closed in the evening on September 21, 2012 and several street signs in the area have been removed by the police.

Project X – the American film

Project They invite a number of people, the invitees in turn invite more people, making it a huge party. It is a really big and fun party, but later in the evening it gets out of hand and the entire neighborhood is destroyed. The film is very popular among the young people.

The municipality and police in Haren

Because news about the party spreads so quickly via social media, many young people say they are coming. The municipality of Haren and the police already foresee problems. There is a good chance that young people will hang out on the street and cause a nuisance, as this has gotten out of hand in Germany, France and America. The municipality of Haren gives the police permission to ask everyone in Haren what they are going to do and to send visitors away if necessary. The Stationsweg, where the party would take place, will also be closed on Friday evening, September 21. There is also an alcohol ban at Haren train station. If necessary, large groups of visitors will be led to another location by the police.

There was some discussion about an alternative party , organized by the municipality of Haren, for example, so that there would be control over the matter. However, this was soon canceled because safety could not be guaranteed. For the same reason, the municipality of Haren does not grant a permit for a large party organized by private individuals.

Previous Project X remakes

It is not the first time that a party like the one seen in Project X has been imitated. In June 2012, two boys were jailed for six months and fined 20,000 euros for throwing a similar party in a French rental villa.
Also in Hamburg there was a girl (Thessa) who made a mistake with her event on Facebook. In Hamburg, 1,500 people showed up for the party, which of course was not a party at all. Eleven people were arrested.
A Project X party also took place in Houston (America) in March 2012. About 500 to 1,000 people attended this party, which was also spread via social media, but it got completely out of hand. When the police tried to stop the party, some partygoers fired their weapons, even killing one person.