Cabinet ministers file police complaint against far-right politician's Nazi flag tweet

Ministers Ernst Kuipers (Public Health) and Karien van Gennip (Social Affairs) filed a complaint against FvD MP Pepijn van Houwelingen for a tweet he distributed showing an edited photo of the ministers in which it seems that they are hoisting a Nazi flag. They have reported Van Houwelingen for "insult and/or libel and/or slander," Van Gennip said after the Council of Ministers meeting on Friday.

Kamerlid brengt twee ministers in verband met nazi-regime. Nieuw dieptepunt. Wanstaltig.

Ik dien een klacht in bij de Tweede Kamer wegens schenden van de gedragsregels.

Lees hier mijn hele reactie ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/wWVc9uzFyi

— Jan Paternotte (@jpaternotte) September 25, 2022

The original photo showed Kuipers and Van Gennip hoisting a flag featuring the United Nations Sustainabile Development Goals. Van Houwelingen used that image, and also an edited version replacing the flag with the Nazi flag. In Van Houwelingen's tweet, which he has since deleted, he wrote "the facade and the reality."

Kuipers said that filing a report sets a clear boundary. Van Gennip agreed that "a line has clearly been crossed." She said she has received support from colleagues in the Council of Ministers.

Kuipers does not think that this will affect his dealings with Van Houwelingen in parliament. "The declaration and a further professional working relationship do not stand in the way of each other."

Van Gennip added that "freedom of expression is a great thing, but there are limits in the Netherlands in how you treat each other. And as far as we are concerned, those have been crossed." The minister hopes that the declaration will make it clear "that certain things are not possible."

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals are include as part of conspiracies about elites snatching power from behind the scenes. Van Houwelingen says that implementation of the goals will lead to "gradually being placed under global technocratic rule."