Community service demanded for threatening PM Rutte on Facebook

The Public Prosecutor demanded 40 hours of community service against a 47-year-old woman who threatened Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Facebook. The Prosecutor also asked the court in The Hague to impose mandatory treatment for the woman's psychological problems, the Telegraaf reports.

In November last year the woman commented on a Facebook post by Rutte about politician Sylvana Simmons. "If we can't hang Sylvana, then we'll hang this bastard. The main cause", she wrote. The woman later stated that she was acting on impulse and that she regrets the comment.

But the Public Prosecutor believes that "limits should be set" on the way in which the social debate is conducted. "To threaten someone with death is such a limit. Whoever does that, must be willing to face the consequences. Public social media is not a safe haven for unacceptable behavior", the Prosecutor said, according to the newspaper.

The court will rule in two weeks.