Artist Katinka Simonse has to correct an accusation against former PvdA MP Gijs van Dijk on Twitter. Simonse, also known as Tinkebell, accused Van Dijk of, among other things, assaulting a woman. The court in Amsterdam called her claims unlawful.
Simons had said on NPO Radio 1 that Van Dijk had assaulted a woman by hugging her roughly. The columnist and artist also speculated that the former PvdA member had been offered 350,000 euros and a new job by the faction.
Van Dijk then instituted summary proceedings. The court ruled in favor of him on Thursday.
The court says that Simonse’s claims are “not supported by the facts”. The judge also finds that the accusation of sexual assault “without good grounds” harms Van Dijk’s reputation and his personal and professional life.
Simonse must post a correction message on Twitter that must be visible for two weeks. She is also not allowed to tweet for two hours after posting the message. In addition, she will be fined if she makes statements about Van Dijk again.
Van Dijk, who was sometimes emotional during the session, said he wanted peace. “I want it to pass.”
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PvdA investigation into Van Dijk never fully made public
Van Dijk resigned as a Member of Parliament in February 2022 after reports of inappropriate behaviour. The PvdA commissioned an independent investigation and banned him from the group.
The party board later acknowledged that this process had been careless “on several occasions”. The PvdA apologized to Van Dijk. The report of the investigation has never been fully made public.
Simonse was one of the women who sounded the alarm about the former PvdA member. She had previously had a sexual relationship with him.
2023-06-08 19:49:17
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