Hundreds protest for release of COVID-skeptic lawyer arrested in sovereign citizen probe
At least 500 demonstrators gathered outside the Penitentiaire Inrichting (PI) Vught on Sunday afternoon calling for the release of former lawyer Arno van Kessel, who was arrested in June on suspicion of involvement in a criminal network alongside seven other suspects, including notorious crime figure Jan B. from Hulten, Omroep Brabant reports.
The protesters, many dressed in white, banged drums, held placards reading “Free Arno,” and chanted “Arno vrij, Arno vrij!” (“Arno free, Arno free!”). The demonstration began around 4 p.m. and continued until about 6 p.m. Police and municipal enforcement officers were present. The municipality had authorized the protest on the condition that prison access roads remained clear, and according to a municipal spokesperson, the gathering remained peaceful.
Van Kessel, a former board member and lawyer for the anti-vaccination organization “Doctors for Truth”, was taken into custody on June 11 during coordinated raids at multiple locations in the Netherlands. Prosecutors allege that the eight arrested are “sovereign citizens” — individuals who reject government authority and are willing to use violence. Authorities say the raids uncovered weapons, ammunition, narcotics, suspected explosives, and "potentially dangerous substances."
The protesters dispute the charges, claiming Van Kessel’s arrest was a premeditated act linked to a lawsuit he had filed against the government over COVID-19 vaccinations. “That is what we’re told, but I don’t think that’s the case,” one man told Omroep Brabant, holding a sign that read “The truth must not be silenced.” Another demonstrator called the situation “a disgrace.”
Many participants also voiced anger over the government’s vaccination policy during the pandemic, portraying Van Kessel as a hero for representing those who rejected COVID-19 and vaccinations. In recent weeks, more than 2,000 people have reportedly joined an online group advocating for his release.
Van Kessel’s legal career had already been marred by repeated disciplinary actions. In 2022, he was convicted of breaching professional conduct rules, including disrupting a public health information session in Friesland, verbally abusing students by calling them “NSB’ers” — a reference to members of the Dutch Nazi party during World War II — and harassing municipal health service workers in a mobile vaccination unit. He received a temporary suspension with a two-year probation.
