Several accounts on Twitter/X, Instagram, and TikTok have reported that the Netherlands has now banned the anti-fascist movement, Antifa. Is this true? Let’s dive in!
Following Donald Trump’s executive order designating Antifa a “domestic terrorist organisation” in the US, many Twitter/X accounts were swift to claim that the Netherlands is following suit.
The Dutch parliament has adopted a motion
On September 18, a motion to designate Antifa as a “terrorist organisation” in the Netherlands was formally adopted.
The motion, which was submitted by FVD’s Lidewij de Vos, Geert Wilders, and the BBB’s Caroline van der Plas, accuses Antifa of “threatening politicians, disrupting meetings, intimidating students and journalists, and not shying away from using violence”.
However, a motion is just the tip of the iceberg, as it is not a legally binding document on its own. The cabinet will still have to review all adopted motions and decide if they should be implemented.
Whether it will be implemented is yet to be seen
In a press conference the following day, Prime Minister Schoof explained that in his opinion, such a decision is “more up to the court than the cabinet.”
However, when discussing whether the motion will now be passed, he kept his answer vague, saying “in principle, you follow the motion of the House, but we are still considering it.”
He stated that further discussions on the state of Antifa in the Netherlands will likely take place this Friday (September 26), at the Council of Ministers.
So, while the Netherlands hasn’t officially banned Antifa yet, the movement’s status might change as early as this Friday.
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