War veterans and the ZLTO called on Brabant farmers in Asten on Saturday afternoon to hang the Dutch flag properly again on 4 and 5 May. With the inverted tricolor, farmers give a ‘distress signal’. They feel cornered by the nitrogen crisis. Many veterans understand this, but they think that this point has now been made, says Manuel Stegeman of Veteranen Stichting Asten. “Because it is precisely this period that such an inverted flag hurts former combatants.”
In many places, after the enormous election victory of the Boer Burger Movement (BBB), the Dutch flags have been hung properly again. Yet there are still many meadows and farms in Brabant where the tricolor is still hanging upside down in protest. Many veterans find that painful.
“The flag gives fighters support in difficult situations.”
According to former Marechaussee Manuel Stegeman, this pain can be easily explained. “When you are in a difficult situation on a mission, the flag gives you a sense of home and the feeling that you are fighting for something. This is not only true for today’s military and veterans, but for many generations. Defense and police personnel have the tricolor are of paramount importance.”
With the ZLTO, the veterans’ foundations of Asten, Someren and Deurne do not want to prescribe how people are allowed to demonstrate. “After all, we live in a free country, but we hope that the flags will hang respectfully again on May 4 and 5. It is a period that often evokes memories. There is a lot of attention for the loss that has been suffered, but also the profit that has been made. Then let’s hang the flag well at least these two days.”
“As an agricultural sector, we have completely overlooked this.”
Frank Rooijakkers of ZLTO De Peel agrees. “I think the ’emergency signal’ of the inverted flags really had its effect. Only after a while did we realize that the Dutch flag has a much deeper meaning for many people. As an agricultural sector, we learned that in the beginning. completely overlooked.” Rooijakkers is therefore happy that many farmers are simply hanging up the red again.
Many veterans understood the signal that the farmers wanted to send with the inverted flag. “But at some point it gets annoying. If I see an inverted flag now, it evokes a certain anger. I think we should now just have respect for the red-white-blue and our own identity” Stegeman explains.
“They literally fought for the flag.”
At ZLTO they understand that too, despite the fact that many farmers still live in great uncertainty. “May 4 and 5 are very important days. That is why we have called for the tricolor to be put up again. We understand that these former combatants feel the most pain, because they literally fought for the flag. So I think it is important that together we want to ensure that the flag is properly hung everywhere again.”
Veteran Stegeman also hopes for that. “I feel the anger that farmers feel about the nitrogen crisis when I see the flags hanging upside down on May 4 and 5. If we share that anger and talk to each other, understanding will naturally arise.”
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