Dutch writer Lale Gül to lose personal security despite ongoing online threats

Dutch writer and television commentator Lale Gül, 28, will soon lose her personal security protection, she told the ANP on Thursday. Gül said she was informed of the decision in a meeting with the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV), which reportedly determined that continued protection was no longer necessary.

Gül’s concerns are grounded in recent arrests of individuals who allegedly posed concrete threats against her. In early August, two men were arrested for threatening her, followed later that month by a third man. “They had concrete plans to harm me,” she told RTL.

Gül gained national attention in 2021 with her debut novel Ik ga leven (I’m going to live), in which she wrote critically about growing up in a strict Islamic family. The book prompted threats from extremist Islamist circles and forced her to go into hiding. In 2024, she published a follow-up book, Ik ben vrij (I am free), addressing similar topics.

According to Gül, the NCTV justified its decision by stating that the threats against her occur online and should not be taken seriously. “If something happens to me, they are responsible,” she said.

“I did not sleep a wink last night because of this decision. I do not want to walk alone at the Media Park without security,” Gül said. She added that she intends to challenge the decision. “I will appeal and write that I do not understand their decision. I face more threats than ever. They initially decided to give me protection.”

The author also criticized the NCTV for its handling of her case. “It was such empathiless people I spoke with yesterday. The Netherlands never learns from its mistakes. After Peter R. de Vries, after Pim Fortuyn, after Theo van Gogh… they do not care at all. They just leave me to fend for myself. ‘Ms. Gül, from now on it is your own responsibility.’”

Gül is currently a regular commentator on the RTL Tonight program, filmed at the Media Park, and also appears on SBS6’s Nieuws van de Dag. RTL declined to comment on her security, and Talpa did not respond to inquiries.