According to former parliamentary chairman Gerdi Verbeet, the fierce manner of demonstrating – such as waiting for Minister Sigrid Kaag with torches – is becoming more and more frequent. According to the former politician, it is now increasingly noticeable because today there is a lot to disagree on, on which you get a stacking effect.
And yet she says it’s not the most serious threat. She finds the anonymous threats made via social media worse. All the more so because the threats are invisible, while demonstrations often turn into conversations. “The minister handled that very well,” she says. ‘That is to disagree with each other with an open mind, and that fits a democracy.’
According to Verbeet, the seriousness of online threats lies in creating the opportunity to attack or harm someone. In addition, it is anonymous. These people were simply visibly present at Kaag, and in all probability also introduced themselves,’ she says. ‘And I assume that Kaag was not present without any guidance.’
‘Just don’t’
However, the bad taste of the action is beyond dispute, says Verbeet. All the more so given the events in Kaag’s private sphere. ‘Then you shouldn’t start waving torches, you just shouldn’t do that.’
According to Verbeet, it is not the case that politicians have proclaimed this kind of reaction about themselves, but she thinks it is important to tell people exactly how things are. ‘If you make people believe for a long time that there is no nitrogen problem, and then come up with all kinds of measures, then I understand that people are indignant and frustrated.’
Intimidating
Presenter and organizer Hans Verbeek of Politics in the Pol – where Kaag joined yesterday – does not entirely agree with Verbeet. He believes that demonstrators should take responsibility for how they demonstrate. ‘We’ve had demonstrations with tractors before, which in turn can be intimidating,’ he says. “Now came the torches. I think they should think for themselves whether this is still the right way to demonstrate.’
“I think the demonstrators should think for themselves whether this is still the right way to demonstrate.”
In addition, according to Verbeek, leaflets were distributed door-to-door the day before the broadcast with Kaag in which Kaag is held responsible for the care, asylum, energy and nitrogen crisis. ‘But when we hosted State Secretary Eric van der Burg – who is actually responsible for the asylum crisis – not a single demonstrator showed up. So it is a form of personal hatred towards Kaag.’
Nothing happened?
Verbeek therefore does not want to know anything about the demonstrators’ defense that ‘nothing criminal has happened’. “It’s always harassment. Of course, nothing happened, the atmosphere was calm and she could just walk on, but if you’re waiting for someone with a fighting dog and torches, it’s not my way of a hospitable welcome,’ he concludes.
