Ombudsman starts investigation into cops visiting protesters at home
The National Ombudsman, Reinier van Zutphen, has launched an investigation into police officers visiting protesters at home following a woman posting a video on social media showing cops at her door asking her about demonstrations she had attended. Van Zutphen also wants to talk to the chief of police about this. “I have never seen the police come to the door and ask questions about demonstrations before,” he told Nieuwsuur.
The two cops visited the woman in Amersfoort, who had protested against Israeli attacks in Gaza, last weekend. She filmed the conversation. One cop said: “We noticed that you have been to a demonstration a few times, and I would like to ask you something about that if you don’t mind.” He stressed that she did not have to answer and asked her about the last demonstration she attended, whether she planned to attend more, and what made her want to protest.
The woman told AD that she felt intimidated by the officers. “Especially when he started talking about the fact that I am going to move soon. That gave me the impression that I am being monitored by the police via social media.”
Van Zutphen told Nieuwsuur that he couldn’t believe the video when he first saw it. “A police officer who asks such questions and says that you do not have to answer, then as a former criminal judge, I get the idea that there is a suspect here who is being questioned by the police.”
The National Ombudsman regularly receives complaints from protesters who say the cops were too harsh or violent with them during a demonstration, but this is a first. “If this happens to you, it can prevent you from participating in a demonstration the next time, a so-called chilling effect.”
Van Zutphen stressed that the right to demonstrate is a fundamental right, which is why he will investigate this incident and look into whether there are others. “It is very strange that the police just ring someone’s doorbell and say that you do not have to answer questions. That gives me the feeling that something is happening that is not right. This was not just a chat from the local police officer. That is disturbing.”
Extinction Rebellion said on its website that its activists also receive visits from the police at their homes. The climate group pointed out that it remains unclear how the police are identifying activists and finding their home addresses.
Human rights organization Amnesty International is also aware that the Dutch police are showing up at protesters’ homes. “It is really worrying,” a spokesperson told RTL Nieuws. “The right to demonstrate is a human right and should be given space.”
The police say that they have apologized to the woman in Amersfoort. “This should never have happened in this way,” National Police chief Janny Knol told Nieuwsuur. He called it “unacceptable” that the cops questioned the woman about her participation in a demonstration. “Or that we ask for their views. We are not the thought police.”
The police would not tell the current affairs program why they visited this woman, citing privacy reasons. “But whatever the reason, this woman should never have been approached in this way,” Knol said.
In 2018, Van Zutphen published a report showing that the right to demonstrate was under pressure in the Netherlands, especially in the case of controversial topics like asylum shelters. The police and municipalities do not always protect demonstrators’ rights, he said in that report. The National Ombudsman already started a follow-up investigation earlier this year. Cops visiting protesters at home are now part of that investigation, he told Nieuwsuur.
