On Saturday 20 September, literature festival ILFU is organising a Readers' March across Utrecht city centre. The organisation calls on everyone with a heart for free speech, literature and democracy to participate. The march of readers, writers and book lovers, who will all bring their favourite book, forms a symbolic retort against censorship and autocracy and in favour of (literary) freedom.
The readers' march starts on 20 September at 12:00 on the Jaarbeursplein in Utrecht and ends on the Domplein. At www.lezersmars.nl starts a virtual readers' march as early as today, for which anyone can submit their book on freedom.
Festival director Michaël Stoker: 'In more and more places around the world, free speech is under attack and undemocratic movements are advancing. Think of the book bans in the US and threatening writers during Spring Fling Week in our own country. And where censorship rears its head, democracy takes hits. In non-democratic countries, the very act of reading is therefore an act of resistance, irrespective of what exactly you are reading. Literature is a sanctuary for all kinds of different views and perspectives, for critical thinking, for expressing your free opinion. It is the most powerful answer to autocratic tendencies.'
Readers' march with important book
The march will lead through Utrecht's city centre to Domplein on that Saturday. Participants hold a book in the air that symbolises hope, freedom and togetherness for them. Thus, a stream of books moves through the city that stands for freedom of thought and writing. On Domplein, participants will be addressed by writers and speakers. The participants simultaneously read from the books they brought along: the cacophony that arises from all those different throats and books symbolises the powerful voice of literature.
Virtual Readers' March
Starting today, a Virtual Readers' March is already starting. At www.lezersmars.nl we call on everyone to suggest online a book that contributes to multi-voicedness, empathy and freedom. Participants can also describe why they think everyone should read this very book. The submitted book titles will form a long book list for freedom and democracy. In the autumn, people across the country will engage in conversation about the books in Readers' March reading clubs.
PEN Netherlands
For the readers' march, ILFU is collaborating, among others, with PEN Netherlands, the Dutch branch of the international writers' association dedicated to freedom of literary expression and oppressed writers. PEN International signalled in its 'case list 2025' worldwide a sharp increase in censorship, legal threats, imprisonment and violence against writers who publicly shared their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion or dared to question the dominant narrative. PEN Netherlands and ILFU see this as grounds for a strong plea for democracy, for free speech and for polyphony.
Call to join
The Readers' March wants to be a powerful statement for (literary) freedom and for the unifying power of literature. If any organisation, whether or not from the book trade, association or reading club also wants to propagate this message, please contact Hidde van Greuningen at lezersmars@ilfu.com for additional information.
ILFU 2025: 20 September to 5 October
The Readers' March is organised by ILFU literature festival, which this year takes place from 20 September to 4 October. "Read Dangerously!" is this year's festival theme. ILFU is an international festival for all disciplines of literary culture. The opening weekend with Boekfest, the NK Poetry Slam and the Utrecht Book Market will be followed by two more weeks including Book Talks with international writers, the festival weekend Exploring Stories on literature & society, the Young Adult Festival YALFU and the 42ste Night of Poetry. Throughout the year, you can take writing and literature courses at the ILFU Academy and performances and get to know new writers on the online ILFU Daily.
