Keijzer petition against Covid access pass gathers thousands of signatures

A petition by former CDA State Secretary Mona Keijzer calling for the immediate abolition of the Covid access pass system is taking off, gathering nearly 160,000 by 1 p.m. Saturday, according to NOS. Traffic to the website hosting the petition has been heavy, causing the site to frequently go offline.

Mona Keijzer was State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy in the previous Cabinet. Prime Minister Mark Rutte fired her on the spot at the end of September last year after she opposed the introduction of the Covid access pass in De Telegraaf, challenging the image of a united front in the Cabinet.

The appeal to the fourth Cabinet of Prime Minister Mark Rutte went live Friday evening and refers to a manifesto with the motto “Undivided Open.” In it, a variety of prominent figures argue in favor of reopening society without using Covid access passes.

The pass is typically issued as a QR code in the CoronaCheck app. It indicates if someone is either fully vaccinated against Covid-19, recently recovered from the coronavirus infection, or tested negative within 24 hours. It grants access to many organizations, from cafes to museums.

"Now that it is becoming clear that this coronavirus will also become endemic, coronavirus passes should not be given a place in the 'toolbox' of a free democracy. We call on the Cabinet and parliament to abolish coronavirus passes effective immediately," the authors said in the manifesto. "The harm it causes is disproportionate to any public health benefits." They went on to call the Covid access pass a "violation of fundamental rights" that is "not necessary, let alone proportional.”

Former politicians, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs and scientists are among the authors of the manifesto. They include former MPs Joël Voordewind (ChristenUnie), Marianne Thieme (Partij voor de Dieren) and Michel Rog (CDA), as well as professor Jan Rotmans, comedian Guido Weijers and directors Dick Maas and Martin Koolhoven.