Trial set for PVV politician who struck Extinction Rebellion demonstrator with his car

The Public Prosecution Service is taking legal action against the Noord-Holland council and PVV member Ronald van Tiggelen for striking a 67-year-old Extinction Rebellion protester on March 3 with his car, the activist’s lawyer says. The OM confirms it is prosecuting a 73-year-old man from Zandvoort without revealing his name.

Van Tiggelen faces prosecution on several charges, including attempted aggravated assault, assault, fleeing the scene of an accident, and disrupting a meeting. He is also charged with dangerous driving.

On March 3, the victim was protesting on a public road near the Provincial House in Haarlem when Van Tiggelen struck her with his vehicle. She was hospitalized with a mild concussion and sustained painful injuries to her back and knee. Van Tiggelen later told ANP that he had not braked and was unaware that anyone had been hurt.

Van Tiggelen serves as one of three PVV representatives in Noord-Holland’s Provincial Council and leads the PVV faction in Zandvoort’s municipal council.

Lawyer Willem Jebbink, representing the injured protester, says the prosecution is crucial for safeguarding the right to protest and freedom of speech. He stresses that politicians serve as role models and describes using violence to silence demonstrators as “outrageous vigilantism.” The victim calls the incident “a deliberate attack” and believes it is closely tied to Van Tiggelen’s political stance.

ANP reached out to Van Tiggelen and the PVV faction in Noord-Holland’s Provincial Council for comment, but received no response.

Noord-Holland Commissioner of the King Arthur van Dijk condemned Van Tiggelen’s actions as "unacceptable behavior" and called on him to personally apologize after the incident. “This not only damages trust in basic human decency but also in politics itself,” Van Dijk said at the time.

The trial is scheduled for February 17, 2026, at the Haarlem court.