Schoof thinks he is above the law, says civil rights group; Muslim organization unnerved

Civil rights organization Bits of Freedom said on Tuesday that it is very concerned about the nomination of Dick Schoof as prime minister. "In the entire domain in which he has been active, repression wins over legal protection. Discrimination often plays a major role," said Bits of Freedom director Evelyn Austin. Her concerns were shared by CMO, an organization that lobbies on behalf of issues affecting the Muslim community in the Netherlands.

"This is a man who believes that he is above the law, that the government is above the law. People should be much more concerned about that than they are," said Austin. Schoof is currently the most senior civil servant at the Ministry of Justice and Security.

"He has played an important role in the current design of the ministry. With a great emphasis on 'security' in a narrow way, on law and order. And with a much smaller emphasis on justice and legal protection. That is one point making us concerned,” said Austin.

Previously, Schoof was National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV) and Director General of civilian intelligence agency AIVD. "Under Schoof's leadership, the NCTV carried out illegal surveillance of people online. They did this knowingly and they felt they had the right to do so," Austin said. She also pointed out that under Schoof 's leadership, "mosques have been infiltrated. That is a huge invasion of the private lives of people who are expressing their faith."

The AIVD has "tested the boundaries of the law" under Schoof, she continued. "Citizens were in the crosshairs without being suspected of anything. The more you are in the crosshairs, the greater the chance of unlawful treatment by the government. Muslims in particular are the victims of this," said Austin.

Bits of Freedom wants to keep a close eye on the next Cabinet. Austin expects "the worst" from the PVV and VVD, the far-right party of Geert Wilders and the party of current Prime Minister Mark Rutte. But she hopes that the other coalition partners, especially NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt, "ensure that there is a Minister for Legal Protection who has more power, and is not hidden away."

Schoof's NCTV launched a program to pay municipalities to use private investigators to surveil and infiltrate mosques and Islamic organizations starting in 2017. Current Legal Protection Minister Franc Weerwind briefly stood up to Schoof when Weerwind was the mayor of Almere, but wound up allowing the program to continue until journalists began asking questions about it.

Muslim lobbyist group Contactorgaan Moslims en Overheid (CMO) questioned whether the Muslim community in the Netherlands will not come under a magnifying glass with Schoof in charge of the country. CMO Chair Mushin Köktaş said he hopes that Schoof will implement the main coalition agreement within the confines of constitutional law.

Dutch Muslims are marginalized by the coalition deal from the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB, and are treated as foreigners instead of as Dutch citizens. "If Schoof is going to implement that agreement, we are concerned about it," said Köktaş.

Muslims "suffered" greatly when Schoof led the NCTV from 2013 to 2018 because of the terror threat level in the Netherlands, according to Köktaş. In 2021, NRC revealed that municipalities were secretly investigating mosques, paid for by the NCTV. "I don't know whether he is now becoming extra alert to the Muslim community. That is why we are extra concerned," said the chairman of the partnership of more than 380 mosques and ten mosque domes.

The CMO said it "still" trusts the rule of law and the constitution. "We find some protection in that. I also hope that the Dutch community will think along with us and will not stand by as has happened in history."

The CMO said it wants to continue discussions with the new government about concerns and problems that need to be resolved. "Whether they accept us or not, just like we did with the previous Cabinet. This is also our country. We have no alternative."