In more and more places around the world, free speech is under attack and undemocratic, autocratic movements are becoming more and more prominent. We call on everyone with a heart for free speech, literature and democracy to join ILFU’s Readers’ March. Everyone can also join the virtual March now by submitting a book that symbolizes freedom and democracy for them.
The Virtual March
Leading up to the march on September 20th, the Virtual Readers’ March is already in full swing. Here you can find the books people have added, books that challenge our empathy, make people reflect on their freedoms and the unfreedom of others.
Add a book and join the march:
https://landing.ilfu.com/lezersmars/
Why now?
Around the world, writers are being intimidated, books banned and critical voices silenced. Even in the Netherlands, where nearly two in ten writers experience aggression, authors face threats and hate campaigns, and trust in the democratic rule of law is eroding.
What is the ‘Lezersmars’
On Saturday, September 20, ILFU literature festival kicks off with a march of readers, writers and book lovers across the Utrecht city center. During the march, all participants hold their books, symbolizing hope, freedom and togetherness, in the air.
The march starts at 12:00h at Jaarbeursplein and head to Domplein in the city centre of Utrecht. There participants will simultaneously read aloud from the books they have brought with them. The cacophony rising from all those different throats and books will symbolize the powerful voice of literature.
De Lezersmars & PEN Nederland
For the Readers’ March, ILFU is collaborating with PEN Netherlands, the Dutch branch of the international writers’ association dedicated to the freedom of literary expression and oppressed writers. In 2025 PEN International signaled a sharp increase worldwide in censorship, legal threats, imprisonment and violence against writers who publicly shared their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion or dared to challenge the dominant narrative. PEN Netherlands and ILFU see this as grounds for a strong plea for democracy, for free speech and for polyphony.