Request to Dutch café Mes to change name turns out to be April Fool's joke: “Regret that we misled people”

Mayor Bert Wijbenga of Vlaardingen is disappointed that he did not sense during the preparations for the April Fool's joke about the so-called name change of Café Mes that it was not a good idea. "I blame myself for not having that gut feeling there," Wijbenga said Tuesday evening in the talk show Beau on RTL 4.

In response to the increasing number of incidents involving weapons, the Dutch municipality of Vlaardingen wanted to see all references to weapons removed from the streetscape. And so café Mes had to change its name, which caused a lot of indignation. Now, however, it turns out to be a far too early April Fool's joke.