Hanneke Groenteman will speak on May 7 at the 20th Willem Arondéus lecture Opens an external link held by the Provincial States of North Holland. A lecture around the theme of freedom, in tribute to resistance fighter Willem Arondéus. For this anniversary, three former speakers reflect on their lectures and share their views on freedom in 2025. This time: former Chief of Defence Peter van Uhm.

How do you reflect on the lecture? Have your ideas changed? 

“When I reread the lecture (pdf), I thought: ‘it is now even more relevant than at that time.’ When it comes to the importance of freedom and reconciliation, and valuing people for what they do. My ideas about freedom have been underscored by the hectic world we live in now.” 

About freedom you said: “In a society, my freedom, my safety, is limited by your freedom, your safety, and vice versa.” 

“People sometimes want ultimate freedom and forget that everyone is part of a society. This means that others can be affected if you only do what you want. It is good to realize that we must do it together. This also means that you should not do some things.” 

You quoted Yehuda Bauer, professor of Holocaust studies: ‘Do not be a perpetrator, do not be a victim, but also do not be a bystander.’ 

“According to him, 10 commandments are not enough and an 11th commandment is needed. Many people think that if they do nothing, they are not responsible. But that is not the case. If you do nothing, something will also happen. That is also a choice. It is good to realize that you have to do something for freedom. Good things happen not from the ‘I’ but from the ‘we’. We all make choices in our lives. Those ultimately determine who you are. This is clearly evident for Willem Arondéus. He made the choice to resist and risk his life. But it applies to everyone, even in small ways.” 

Do you have tips for what we can do?  

“It starts with small things. Pay attention to your neighbors, let’s clean the sidewalk again. It doesn’t have to be all grand like with Arondéus. But take responsibility for your environment and do something for it. If you buy an emergency package and also get one for your neighbor, then you are doing really well. 

In the theater college that I do with Mart de Kruif (former commander of the Land Forces), we ask the audience: ‘who is in favor of military conscription?’ Many people raise their hands. We then explain that we are opponents of that, but strong supporters of a societal service obligation, where all young people contribute.  

If we want our freedom to be maintained, we must ensure a resilient society in all segments: defense, the security of Rotterdam and Schiphol, our roads, and infrastructure regarding electricity.  

Freedom is something you do together. Ultimately, we must work together to ensure that freedom is guaranteed. That is not just contributing to defense with 2% or maybe even 3% of national income. It is much broader.” 

What lessons from World War II are still relevant?  

“First of all, that religion and nationalism have often been misused to set groups against each other. Let’s be careful. If we are not careful, we will be doing that again.  

My father was a soldier after the period of ‘the broken rifle’. When he lay by the Waal and saw the Germans on the other side of the river, he could not hit them because he had such a bad rifle. A frustration for life. Look how we have neglected our defense. We will have to step up. We live in a period where the balance of power in the world is shifting. From history, we can learn that these are very tricky periods, because it can explode at any moment, and then we are making the same mistake. And that is called war. And in war, everyone loses. So we need to get our defense in order. Especially to prevent this from happening again.”  

Is there anyone you admire today, someone who speaks out and inspires? 

“And then it gets quiet… We need leaders again who can jump over their shadows, like Nelson Mandela. Who have the greatness to, despite everything that has happened, still look ahead and choose the best future for the people and take them along in that. A beautiful quote from Mandela is: ‘if you want peace with your enemy, work with him and he will become your partner.’” 

What quality of Willem Arondéus is important in this time? What can we learn from him?  

“The lessons about the feeling of freedom and standing up for what you believe in. Show who you are through your actions! If we would do that a bit more, if we all had a bit of Willem Arondéus in us and showed that, the world would look a lot better.” 

Visit the lecture on May 7

Hanneke Groenteman will speak the Willem Arondéus lecture on May 7, 2025, in the Grote of St. Bavokerk in Haarlem. Doors open at 20:00. Start at 20:30. Admission is free. Registration for the lecture is mandatory and can be done via this form Opens an external link .