Politicians only send a few tweets about the latest farmer actions

A few tweets from a few politicians. Anyone turning to The Hague this summer for reactions to the farmers’ campaigns that are getting further and further out of hand and which meanwhile endanger the safety of citizens, will have to make do with that. For a politician who is regularly accused of being too fussy, the cabinet and the House of Representatives are not very vocal this week. It is summer recess, many politicians are on holiday.

D66 party chairman Jan Paternotte asked on Twitter to stop calling the farmers’ actions ‘demonstrating’. This is terrorizing.” He asked for “action from the cabinet.” And Laurens Dassen van Volt also asked for “direction”. Thierry Baudet (FVD) tweeted that the farmers “have a sense of humor”, with a photo of manure heaps on the highway. The vast majority of party leaders remained silent.

The cabinet was also only heard on Twitter. Minister Dilan Yesilgöz (Justice, VVD) chose not to comment on the consequences of the farmers’ actions for the safety of citizens, but only on the consequences for the farmers themselves. “You don’t just quickly lose understanding of your actions. Where possible, the police will track you down. A criminal record has consequences. Use your brain.”

“The government is struggling to respond to anti-state opposition to government policies,” said Kutsal Yesilkagit. He is a professor international governance at Leiden University and conducts research into how politicians and civil servants influence the outcomes of policy and social events. “In the corona crisis, a network of conspiracy, anti-state groups has emerged, fueled by populism and the far right. Those groups then focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The group of angry farmers is the next catalyst. Angry farmers are now also supported by Donald Trump and Marine Le Pen. That group will not withdraw from the protests.”

Actions more intense

On Wednesday, Rijkswaterstaat, the East Netherlands police and a number of security regions called on farmers to stop with highway blocks. In vain, the actions only seemed to intensify after that.

In the night from Wednesday to Thursday, several highways were closed because car tires, hay bales and manure heaps had been dumped on them. In some cases, the place was also set on fire. There was also asbestos in some places. On the A7, the mess on the road led to accidents.

Contractors who had to clean up the mess initially withdrew after threats. A company that removed inverted flags – the protest symbol of farmers – in the Achterhoek on behalf of a municipality has stopped doing so after threats. On Thursday, several highways were still impassable.

Farmers Defense Force foreman Mark van den Oever said in the General Newspaper that “of course accidents are never justifiable.” He added: “But as long as it’s a little bit of damage, I don’t mind.”

Also read: Unsafe situations due to violent actions by farmers

Rutte: unacceptable

Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD) tweeted on Thursday that, according to him, the protest actions by “a small group of farmers” are “unacceptable” and “exceed all bounds”. “These life-threatening actions must stop.” He called for reporting threats.

Agriculture Minister Henk Staghouwer (ChristenUnie) also condemned the actions on Twitter. “What brings us further is talking to each other, that’s how we have always progressed in this country. I know there are farmers who would like that. That space will be available at Remkes’ table in the coming weeks. Let’s find each other there again.”

At the beginning of this month, Johan Remkes, who has the reputation of a magician from The Hague who knows how to devise an incantation for every crisis, was appointed discussion leader between farmers and the cabinet. This week he sent out his invitations. At first none of the big farmers’ organizations wanted to talk to him. On Thursday, after Rutte’s intervention, only the Netherlands Agricultural and Horticultural Organization (LTO) agreed to an “exploratory conversation”.

‘Use your brain’

“For a long time, the Netherlands managed to channel major conflicts of interest through the polder model,” says Yesilkagit. He sees from the reactions of politicians that they naturally want to fall back on that. “The government is now discovering that poldering does not work in a highly polarized society, and has not yet found an alternative. This is a political-administrative moment in which old repertoires of conflict management offer no solution.”

Yesilkagit points to the often pacifying tone of politicians. In many cases they condemn the behavior of farmers who overstep the mark, but combine it with an understanding of the underlying dissatisfaction. He suspects that politicians from right-wing parties have electoral motives for it. “They don’t dare to be too harsh on inadmissible actions because they are afraid it will cost voters.”

Caroline van der Plas of the BoerBurgerMovement tweeted Wednesday that she is behind the protests “that are within the law”. And also that she ‘understands’ ’emotions of farmers’ very well. “I do want to call on farmers who cause fires and blockades and who carry out actions that endanger people / the environment to stop this.” One day later made them known due to threats to stop making media appearances for the time being and also not to make working visits.

What is needed according to Yesilkagit: “Hard intervention. The state must show who has the monopoly on violence and the Public Prosecution Service and the police must feel that the politicians support them in this. That is why it is important for politicians to speak out clearly. And when peace has returned, take the time to think: how do we deal with this new reality?”

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