The right to demonstrate is under pressure in the Netherlands, activists warned the Tweede Kamer. The local government regularly changes the rules during the game and often uses too much violence, said climate activist Jelle de Graaf of Extinction Rebellion, anti-racism activist Jerry Afriyie of Kick Out Zwarte Piet, and Bart Kemp of farmers’ movement Argactie in a discussion with parliamentarians about the right to demonstrate.
The decision could set a new precedent in Europe, where former colonial powers have so far avoided pressure to fully reckon with their role in the slave trade.