Counterterrorism office hit by wave of returned emergency booklets amid conspiracy fears
The National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV), the Dutch government agency responsible for counterterrorism and national security, has received a large number of returned emergency-preparedness booklets from residents across the Netherlands, acting NCTV chief Wieke Vink told De Telegraaf. The booklet Bereid je voor op een noodsituatie, which translates to Prepare for an Emergency, was sent to 8.5 million households, with many returning it directly to the NCTV.
Vink said the return stack is “indeed a large pile,” adding, “That was taken into account. If you conduct a broad campaign like this, most people are happy with it. People think, "Good, now I know what I can do." But you also have people who see it as part of a conspiracy. If you send out 8.5 million copies, of course, some will come back. Sometimes with a nice letter, sometimes without.”
The booklet, which advises residents to prepare for disruptions by keeping supplies such as 9 liters of water per person at home, triggered sharp reactions from some. Several who sent it back posted their motivations online.
One Facebook user, Suzanne, who sells healing crystals, shared a photo of the envelope and wrote that earlier virus measures “felt like a campaign to program the population.”
Another critic, Laura Ginsel, before returning the copy, asked ChatGPT to analyze the booklet. She said the chatbot assessed it as “paternalistic and coercive, creating fear without explanation.”
A video posted by someone identifying as Kafka Deventer described the publication as a “panic-mongering emergency booklet,” De Telegraaf reported. In the video, he said, “The government wants so much for you to be afraid. Because if you are afraid, then you listen, and they have you under control. Believe me, there will be no emergency. They want you to believe that the Russians will be on the doorstep tomorrow, but that is pure nonsense. And if the power does actually go out, then they caused it themselves. With their climate madness.”
The booklet does not claim an imminent invasion. It states, “Despite the fact that the Netherlands is doing everything it can to prevent war, our country may still become involved. Not immediately because soldiers or tanks attack our country, but through disruptions and digital attacks. As a result, important systems can fail. The consequences are then significant.”
The backlash mirrors themes highlighted in the NCTV’s newly published Dreigingsbeeld, which notes strong hostility toward the state among anti-government activists and so-called “sovereign citizens.”
According to NCTV's threat assessment, such individuals believe in a harmful elite that controls society, and “some prepare for an imminent crisis or war with the elite, for example, preppers.”
A recent study by the Den Haag Centrum voor Strategische Studies (HCSS) shows broad distrust of the government among the general population. Surveying about 4,600 people, the study found that nearly one-third view the government as “a company that sees its citizens as part of a profit model.”
Thirteen percent believe the spread of COVID-19 was a pre-planned action intended to advance certain interests. Fewer than half—42 percent—say outright that democratic institutions, not a small powerful group, make major decisions; one-third agree that a small elite is in charge, and one-fifth are neutral.
