Activists Get Flowers Only

Like all politicians who have/had to do with the incidents around the arrested activists on inauguration day, Minister Ivo Opstelten said, during the question hour in the House on Tuesday, that he regrets these arrests happened. GroenLinks MP Liesbeth van Tongeren asked the Minister of Security and Justice about the arrests of the activists Maessen and van der Hoek. “This should have never happened and demonstrations against the monarchy should be possible in the Netherlands,” answered the Minister. According to van Tongeren, “It is easy to say how much the minister regrets the arrests, but on the other hand the Ministry of Security and Justice, only send the victims a bouquet of flowers and some apologies.” She continues, “I expect that a minister of the party for ‘law and order’ would deal with this more strongly and would, besides a bouquet of flowers, arrange a financial compensation.” Opstelten thinks that a financial compensation is not necessary and flowers should be enough.