Waadhoeke council refuses dialogue with anonymous Facebook critics
Residents of Waadhoeke are urged to engage openly in local politics as the municipal council declines discussions with anonymous Facebook groups. These groups, often sharing incorrect information and personal attacks, hinder constructive debate, according to the council.
| Key Data Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Municipality | Waadhoeke (Fryslân) |
| Anonymous Facebook Groups | 'Waadhoeke voor leefbaarheid', 'Franeker Voor Leefbaarheid' |
| Council's Stance | No dialogue with anonymous individuals |
| Concerns Raised | Factually incorrect statements, inappropriate remarks about individuals |
| Date of Statement | 5 March 2020 |
| Number of Councillors | 30 |
The municipal council of Waadhoeke is responsible for local governance, including policy-making and representing residents' interests. It plays a key role in fostering transparent and respectful public discourse to ensure informed decision-making on local issues.
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Statement by the municipal council regarding anonymous Facebook groups
Dear residents of the municipality of Waadhoeke,
The municipal council of Waadhoeke considers it important that as many residents as possible are involved in the politics of their own municipality and encourages everyone to express their views on this matter. The council is also always open to engaging in dialogue with residents. However, for this to happen, the council needs to know who the residents are who wish to engage in the conversation.
For some time now, anonymous groups have been active on Facebook. Examples include ‘Waadhoeke voor leefbaarheid’ and ‘Franeker Voor Leefbaarheid’. The people behind these groups have consciously chosen to remain anonymous, while the statements made on these Facebook pages relate to the politics of Waadhoeke. These statements are often factually incorrect. Moreover, they frequently involve inappropriate remarks directed at individuals. As the full council, we wish to emphasize that we stand behind our executive board and, certainly, behind the employees of the municipality of Waadhoeke.
As the municipal council, we make decisions in the general interest, aiming to carefully weigh all relevant interests. However, it is impossible to weigh the interests of anonymous individuals. Who are these anonymous individuals, and what interests do they represent? For this reason, the municipal council of Waadhoeke wishes to state that it cannot engage in dialogue with the individuals behind these Facebook groups—at least not as long as those individuals remain anonymous.
In any societal and political debate, it is important to treat one another with respect and to engage in open discussions based on content and facts. We hope that everyone will continue to share their points of concern, suggestions, and interests with us publicly. This way, we as a council can make well-informed decisions on the sometimes complex societal issues we face.
The councillors of the municipality of Waadhoeke,
P. de Cock T. Cuperus L. Douma L. Ferwerda S. Greidanus Y. de Groot-Krikke H. Hoekstra H. Hof Dirk de Jong Doeke de Jong T. S. de Jong M. Kamerling D. Kamstra A. M. Mast H. J. Nauta A. M. Neudorfer-Eberwijn D. Osinga-Bonnema D. van der Pol R. Rotsma R. Santing H. Stellingwerf R. Venema D. Vroonland L. J. Vollema A. Weiland H. van der Werff B. van Wijk J. J. Zijlstra E. Zuidema