The Love Parade must be a lesson

Nineteen people died and hundreds were left injured at the Love Parade music festival in the western German city of Duisburg on Saturday. This brings home the risks of such mass events, writes the daily Trouw and points our that this year's "Dance Parade", a similar event in Rotterdam, was cancelled because the city's security requirements were too high. The Rotterdame "Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb was harshly criticised for the stricter security measures. The events in Duisburg prove him right. It is to be hoped that lessons will be learned for future events that draw huge crowds, particularly seeing as their number appears to be increasing. [Such mass festivals] pose a major risk. The mayors who realise this are doing their job. That any restriction of the festivities prompts the accusation that 'we're not allowed to do anything nowadays' should not distract them from their task: ensuring public order."

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