Violence and collusion are clearly defined in prison terms
Hubert Smeets

In addition to ordinary politicians, you also have pyromanes and bloodhounds in politics. Caroline van der Plas of the Boerburger Movement is such a pyromaniac. Wednesday, shortly after rapalje farmers Bart Kemp (Agractie) and Mark van den Oever (Farmers Defence Force) lived up to their predictions that a “peasant uprising” was threatening and on the “day of death” [.] “the beech” would go into it, Van der Plas tweeted the classic statement of a politician who has lost hold on her supporters. “Mind you: I don't approve riots. But” After which she volunteered for the extinguishing work.

But who is the bloodhound?
In the early days of the Weimar Republic, the Social Democratic Minister Gustav Noske was the bloodhound. In January 1919, when the first (left) democratic government in German history seemed to falter under pressure from the communist Spartacus uprising, he deployed the army. “One must be the bloodhound,” Noske said. Someone had to take the “responsibility” to prevent the Bolsheviks from hijacking the free elections to the constituent, as they had done in Russia in 1917.

No misunderstanding. The Netherlands is not a Weimar Republic. The nation has a beautiful democratic history and is not facing the aftermath of a devastating war.

But that something is rotting in the kingdom is undeniable. Tuesday was one of those days that smelled. That morning, the Van den Oever club blackmailed itself, under the threat of tractors at the door, at the opening of the annual congress of the Association of Dutch Municipalities. Other farmers blocked the county house in Assen and also gave ultimata there. And in the evening, after the House of Representatives had voted off all motions of distrust with convincing majorities, bumpkins, armed with tractors and fireworks, advanced to the homes of Minister Christianne van der Wal (VVD) and parliamentarian Derk Boswijk (CDA).

Prime Minister Mark Rutte was troubled, certainly, but also downplayed the intimidation by dismissing them as unacceptable actions by “a small group of farmers who are ruining it for the vast group that wants to demonstrate civilized”.

Making something small is a quality of the VVD leader. But is that wise? no. There is every reason to make this attack on the democratic rule of law great. What happened on Tuesday smacks of putschism.

The peasants were out with their vultures and burning straw bales to intimidate the family of a minister and representative of the people. Van den Oever may call their young children “pussies” with condescending machismo, in fact, the farmers armed with wooden sledgehammers and iron bars have tried to deliberately prevent Van der Wal and Boswijk from fulfilling their duty freely and unhindered by threats of violence, as it is called in Articles 95, 96, 121, 122 and 123 of the Criminal Code. Obstructing ministers and representatives of the parliament in their work is not a crime that can be fined. Violence and collusion against government, parliament, provincial states and municipal councils are clearly punishable in prison terms: from four years to a maximum of life.

Rutte nevertheless values the seriousness more rosy. He still thinks he can “prevent” police and mayors from having to “act”, as he said the day after the peasant violence. Prime Minister doesn't want to be a bloodhound.

Is there not another Noske to be seen? A minister who, of course, without taking the deadly high spectrum of violence as an example that the German was willing to use, says: “As far as I am concerned, I do not shy away from responsibility”? no. The flush in The Hague is thin. So thin it scares you.

Hubert Smeets is a journalist and historian. Every other week he writes a column in NRC.
#peasants #protestactions #terrorists #nitrogen #subsidies #tillage #melkvee #cows #biodiversity #waterpollution #most

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