The municipality of Hoogeveen will remove reversed Dutch flags tomorrow afternoon. These are flags that are attached to municipal property, such as lampposts, traffic lights and buildings.
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According to the municipality, this is not allowed. The flags would also cause unsafe situations on the road.
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Hoogeveen calls on the people who have hung the flags to remove them before 2 p.m. tomorrow at the latest. “Do this safely and do not obstruct traffic,” said the municipality. It only concerns flags on municipal properties. People who have an upside-down flag in front of their house are allowed to fly it there.
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The municipality says it understands the situation of the farmers. “Farmers who also want to talk to the municipality are cordially invited.”
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The inverted Dutch flag – so with the color blue above – is one of the symbols of the farmer’s actions. Angry farmers want to show their dissatisfaction with the government’s nitrogen policy. While there is sympathy for it, the upside-down flag does not resonate with others. For example in the military.
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Earlier this week Marco Kroon, bearer of the Military William Order, said that the inverted flag was “a direct insult to [is] for the thousands of soldiers, civilians, agents, firefighters and everyone else who made the highest sacrifice in the service of the State of the Netherlands.” Although he understands the emotions, Kroon believes that the flag should be treated with respect. “Freedom of these colors has been paid for with Dutch blood.”
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View the images of the inverted flags in Hoogeveen below:
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