Oldebroek coalition ends rainbow flag display, resident protests with newspaper ad
Oldebroek will no longer fly the rainbow flag after the new coalition described the flag as “unchristian,” prospective alderman Tom de Nooijer of CVO said. The coalition has also decided to end the municipality’s diversity and LGBTQ+ policies. In response, resident Kjeld Mooi placed a full-page rainbow flag advertisement in this week’s edition of the local newspaper Huis aan Huis Oldebroek. More than 250 donors contributed to pay for the printed ad, RTL reports.
“If the municipality does not protect them, then we have to do it ourselves,” Mooi said. He added that he hopes the campaign will lead to more support. Mooi himself is not part of the LGBTQ+.
The rainbow flag had been flown in Oldebroek since 2021 after discussions with residents about improving safety, resilience, and social acceptance for LGBTQ+ people in the municipality.
Mooi attended the presentation of the coalition agreement at the end of June and decided to take action after the new policies were announced.
According to, among others, the Reformatorisch Dagblad, Oldebroek is the first municipality in the Netherlands to include the removal of LGBTQ+ and diversity policies in a governing agreement.
The display of rainbow flags has also led to incidents of aggression. Last year, a resident named Lars found two bullet holes in a window after hanging a rainbow flag outside his home.
