Increase of online hate messages and threats against elected officials in the Netherlands

Aggressive behavior toward elected officials has increased in the Netherlands. Over the past four years, members of the Provincial Council have increasingly had to deal with hate and threats, whether through verbal attacks or hate speech on social media, Trouw found out.

Research by the Ministry of the Interior has already shown that there has been a significant increase in aggression against elected officials in recent years, including at the provincial level.

These incidents are not rarities, as they can be found in all parties and in every province. Almost 40 percent of the 188 MPs who participated in the study (out of a total of 570) reported that they had been victims of attacks in the last four years, according to Trouw.

The representatives are particularly affected by online hate messages. According to the MPs surveyed, over 30 percent of them have received threatening or intimidating messages via email or social media. However, this behavior is also reflected aside from social media, as about a quarter of elected officials have also experienced intimidation attempts and threats on the street.

However, Harold van de Velde, chairman of the Association of Deputies, is not too surprised by the developments: "In recent years, more and more important issues for which a solution must be found have ended up on the province's plate. Think of agriculture, nature, nitrogen and energy,” he told Trouw.

The survey also found that most MPs only occasionally have to deal with threats or intimidation. However, for a minority of MPs, around 6 percent, this behavior is a recurring problem. They reported receiving hate messages either daily, weekly, or monthly. Mostly from right-wing extremists, environmental activists or angry farmers, the newspaper wrote.