The Netherlands is one of the best countries to live in. But our freedoms are under pressure. We increasingly see homophobia, unfree foreign influence, honor-related violence, and genital mutilation, as well as femicide, discrimination, and anti-Semitism. Those who suppress others under the guise of our freedoms undermine society as a whole. That is why the VVD advocates for a freedom agenda.

The Netherlands is a secular country of freedom and self-determination. Falling in love with whom you want, wearing what you want, leaving someone if you want to. You have the right to make your own choices. But this has not always been the case. If you had told this to our great-grandparents, they would have looked at you in disbelief. A long struggle for emancipation and secularization was needed for our free country. But the freedom that makes living in the Netherlands so pleasant is again under pressure in 2025.

This has, first of all, come with migration. We see in parts of Islamic, and sometimes also Syrian-Christian and tribal cultures that there can be very unfree norms and values. Sometimes so much so that a woman, gay person, or dissenter can be ostracized, abused, or killed because he or she “damages” the familys honor. The police in the Netherlands receive more than 670 reports of honor violence each year. It is estimated that 40,000 girls and women have been subjected to genital mutilation, and another 4,000 are at risk.

Let me make this clear: all people living in the Netherlands who actively participate in our free society, the VVD considers them, regardless of their background, to be on their side. If you participate, you fully belong. But the fact is: out of fear of stigmatizing people, too many problems that do exist with clashing norms and values are overlooked in the Netherlands. And as was recently described in an opinion piece on the site VrijLinks: “When the majority remains silent out of politeness, guilt, or fear about clashing norms, the minority fills the void with its own frameworks.” We must be able to name problems in order to effectively advocate for both our way of life and for those who are oppressed under the guise of religion and culture.

But it is broader. Unfreedom is also a problem of alienation among people born here who should know how our country works. Yet sometimes they also use religion or ideology as an excuse for unfree behavior. If they, as Dutch citizens, are more loyal to a foreign regime and intimidate others. If they vandalize synagogues or mosques from a far-right extremist ideology. Or if they expose children to homophobia and intolerance. We see unfreedom not only among people from a foreign culture but also in illiberal undercurrents within Dutch society itself, which are also growing through the internet, fake news, and conspiracy theories.

NGO Justice for Prosperity recently showed how our democracy is undermined through fake news against gay and womens rights. In some public and Christian schools, discussing homosexuality or sexual education has become complicated. There are orthodox Christian schools that ask students to sign an anti-gay declaration. There are organizations that engage in conversion therapy or organized intimidation around abortion clinics. And what about parts of the so-called online manosphere? Where intolerant men teach young teenagers through videos that women have nothing to say.

The ironic thing is that all this undermining of individual freedom and equality in the Netherlands is possible precisely because we are a free country. Through the freedom of education, religion, and association, as well as the right to protest and the free internet, intolerant, anti-democratic messages are increasingly being spread. At this point, freedoms are being abused to spread unfreedom and undermine the equality and freedom of others. Setting boundaries towards those who abuse our freedom is sometimes exactly what is needed to protect our free society.

And if you still think this is a far-from-your-bed show: this affects our entire society. This is your daughter, who risks being seen as his possession by someone. Your granddaughter who cannot safely bike home at night. That empty chair in the classroom because a classmate has been married off and wont return after the vacation. Your good friend who loves a man and no longer dares to hold his hand. That woman who has lived next to you for years but you never see outside.

And of course, part of the solution is also to reduce unbridled migration. The VVD has been fighting for this for years and we are currently working hard on it. We hope that the new asylum laws will soon be passed by the Senate. In our election program, we make many proposals for strict and effective asylum policy. But that is not enough. We must set radical boundaries in the Netherlands against those who undermine freedom here. Not to ban a religion, but to stand up for freedom, from whichever corner it is attacked. Freedom is the basis for advancing your own life and society. Or as Hannah Arendt aptly stated: “Freedom is the ability to start something new.”

That new beginning, in my opinion, should start now. Lets not fight each other from leftist or rightist dogmas, but find each other in an agenda for freedom. What such an agenda should look like? First of all, embracing free Dutch values should be a prerequisite for residency rights and citizenship. Education should also unconditionally adhere to the free democratic constitutional state. Every school should pay attention to the Enlightenment, citizenship, sexual education, self-determination, and World War II. We should modernize Article 23 so that schools can no longer discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, or religion under the guise of educational freedom.

Furthermore, we need to take much stronger action against foreign interference. Autocratic regimes like Iran or China interfere too often with Dutch citizens here. Organize legal oversight on weekend schools. No longer automatically grant work permits to foreign clergy from outside the EU. Get rid of hate imams and implement an administrative ban on undermining organizations like Samidoun. Lets also intervene in the funding from illiberal organizations in the US and sources around the Kremlin that undermine womens and gay rights here.

And above all: protect self-determination. Honor-related violence, genital mutilation, conversion therapies, forced marriages, and femicide do not belong here. Intimidating women around abortion clinics must be punished. Perpetrators and accomplices of honor revenge, genital mutilation, and femicide must not get away with a light sentence. Create a possibility for potential victims and people around them to request data, following the example of the British Clare’s law. And: never be tolerant of hate and discrimination. We must continue to strengthen the acceptance of LGBTQIA+ individuals. We must take the fact that gay acceptance in major cities like Amsterdam is decreasing very seriously and not close our eyes to the role that migration background and religion also play in this. Conversion therapies must be banned. And please, no community service anymore for hate crimes such as assaulting or terrorizing LGBTQIA+ individuals or Jewish and Islamic Dutch citizens.

Our free way of life is worth defending on all fronts. It is time for action. The VVD also hopes for broad support from other parties for all these plans. We have no time to lose for our freedom.