BBB candidate withdraws over anonymous Nazi tweets to other politicians

A candidate parliamentarian from the BoerBurgerBeweging has withdrawn after it came out that during the coronavirus pandemic, he called numerous politicians “child abuser,” “pharma whore,” and “from niece to Nazi bitch” on X, then Twitter. Jasper Rekers is number 13 on the BBB candidate list, but he won’t take his seat if elected. He ran an anonymous Twitter account for years, continuously insulting public figures, comparing them to Nazis, and regularly calling for tribunals and uprisings.

After ANP confronted him with its investigation into his online past, Rekers initially denied it. After the BBB was informed, he relented. He has apologized to the party. The party said it was unaware of the insults, was “very shocked” by the content of the tweets, and distanced itself from them.

Rekers told BBB that the tweets came from a “dark period” in his life. “I was seriously concerned about the developments in society, and that had an effect on my state of mind,” Rekers said in a response. He added that he only recognized some of the statements presented to him. If his comments offended people, “I am deeply sorry,” he said.

The coronavirus crisis “has also made major dents in many lives,” the BBB said. For the party, it counts against Rekers that he did not inform the BBB himself. The party respects his “inevitable decision” not to take his possible place in parliament.

From the Twitter account Verzet op Links, Rekers called the then corona minister Hugo de Jonge a “child molester” and “PABO quack,” among other things. He wondered whether the CDA Minister had already booked a “one-way ticket to Nuremberg” to the Nazi tribunal. After Prime Minister Mark Rutte wished the new Chancellor Olaf Scholz good luck, the BBB politician called Rutte an “NSB’er.” Rekers compared the Flemish virologist Marc van Ranst to Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels and murderer Marc Dutroux.

Rekers (35) is an entrepreneur from Enschede and a teacher at Saxion University of Applied Sciences. With his 13th position on the BBB candidate list, he had a good chance of getting into parliament, according to the polls.

The ANP found 900 Twitter posts over a period of two years. During the coronavirus pandemic, Rekers changed the name on his personal account to Verzet op Links. There, he focused mainly on policy surrounding the pandemic, on which subject he incessantly drew comparisons with Nazi Germany.

BBB leader Caroline van der Plas has often spoken out in favor of politicians treating each other more politely. Harsh accusations against the person do not improve “confidence in politics,” Van der Plas said in 2021.

The D66, in particular, was harshly treated by the candidate parliamentarian. According to Rekers, the D66 is a “Nazi party,” and the party congress a “fascist ball.” Rob Jetten, now party leader, went “from niece to Nazi bitch,” according to Rekers. He compared party chairman Jan Paternotte to Goebels. And he called D66 healthcare minister Ernst Kuipers a “pimp,” a “child abuser,” and a “war criminal.”

Rekers also attacked Christian politicians and former politicians on their religious beliefs. “To hell, Gert-Jan, via Nuremberg,” we wrote to former ChristenUnie leader Gert-Jan Segers. He also called former CU minister Arie Slob the devil.

When MP Nilüfer Gündoğan posted a photo of her getting vaccinated against Covid-19, he called her a “pharma whore.” Rekers also targeted scientists and journalists, such as virologist Marion Koopmans, sports journalist Jeroen Stekelenburg, and columnist Asha ten Broeke, and organizations like the Health Council, NOS, and RTL Nieuws.