Six suspects appeared in court on a special thematic session for threatening politicians. They had made threats against politicians and posted messages on social media. The Public Prosecution Service demanded a prison sentence for one suspect and community service for the others. In a democracy like ours, politicians must be able to do their work without fear of expressing their opinions, said the public prosecutor.
A 57-year-old man from Vlaardingen appeared in court for threatening former minister Hugo de Jonge, saying: “A bullet in your head.” Three weeks of imprisonment was demanded against him, and the judge imposed that three weeks, but two of them conditionally. The case against a 65-year-old man from Oegstgeest was postponed. He allegedly reacted online to a message about various politicians with the text: Death! You should stomp on cockroaches!. His case is scheduled for October 10.
A 57-year-old man from Hoevelaken, who called for the “shooting,” “hanging,” and “killing” of various politicians, was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and a conditional prison sentence of 2 weeks, as demanded.
The Public Prosecution Service demanded 40 hours of community service for a suspect who had made threatening statements to Geert Wilders after the PVVs election victory in 2023. The judge sentenced him as demanded.
Another suspect posted a picture of a bullet intended for minister Rob Jetten on Facebook. The Public Prosecution Service demanded 80 hours of community service. The judge imposed the same sentence. Another suspect was sentenced to 60 hours of community service as demanded. This man had made a threat against Stephan van Baarle on X.
Fewer reports
At the police unit in The Hague, there is a special Team Threatened Politicians that, together with the Public Prosecution Service, deals with all reports of threats against national politicians from the so-called national domain. In 2024, the team received 363 reports of threats. The number is significantly lower compared to 2023 when the team received 753 reports.
A reason for the decrease could be that the formation of the cabinet in 2024 took some time. Threats are often related to political events, and there were fewer of those in 2024. The total number of politicians being threatened is comparable to previous years.
Criminal court
In 2024, the Public Prosecution Service concluded in 235 cases that the report constituted a criminal threat. In 2024, 41 suspects were summoned to the criminal court compared to 67 the year before. It is expected that the 96 cases still under investigation will lead to new summons and hearings in the criminal court.