Lots of enthusiasm for Readers' March | Saturday 20 September Jaarbeursplein

Readers stand firm for free speech, Speakers include Jessica van Geel, Mahat Arab and Özcan Akyol

More than a thousand readers, writers, booksellers, librarians and publishers from all over the country came to Utrecht today. In doing so, they showed their concern for freedom of expression, which is also under pressure in the book world.

Michael Stoker, director of literature festival ILFU and initiator of the march: "Writers are threatened, books banned from school libraries - yes, in the Netherlands too. That says a lot about the state of democracy. With this march, we wanted to show that this does play out here too."

"It is time to take to the streets, doing nothing is no longer an option," said Jessica van Geel, writer and historian. "History teaches us that when they start banning books, they end up banning people too."

Eveline Aendekerk, CPNB director: 'Books are the only place where opinions coexist; reading sharpens your thinking, it makes you a more critical citizen. Books are our best defence against the emerging threat to democratic values.'

The Readers' March is the kick-off of The Week of the Forbidden Book which takes place until 28 September in libraries across the country.

Parties supporting the readers' march are: Authors' Association, The Writers' Central, Group of General Publishers (GAU), International Publishers Association, Small print, Royal Booksellers Association, Literary Museum / Children's Book Museum, Dutch Foundation for Literature, PEN Emergency Fund, Poetry Circle, Poetry International, Probiblio, CPNB Foundation, Senia Foundation, Liberty College Foundation, Association of Public Libraries, Flemish-Dutch House deBuren, Brainwash Festival and Winter garden.

All are committed to calling attention to the fact that free speech is also under pressure in the Netherlands. And with it, our democracy.

Week of the Forbidden Book 20 to 28 Sept

Increasingly, books are disappearing from (school) libraries in other countries. Books that go against prevailing morals, that question or chafe. That is why Probiblio organises the Week of the Forbidden Book from 20 to 28 September. With this national campaign, inspired by the American Banned Books Week, libraries celebrate free speech and invite readers to read right these 'cancelled' books. In this way, libraries make visible that free access to knowledge and stories can never be taken for granted. More info.