What image do John de Mol and his TV channel SBS 6 want to project to women who report abuse and to our society as a whole? “Peter Gillis is still on TV!”
Peter Gillis is bad newsThat much has become clear over time. His ex-girlfriend Nicol Kremers has finally found the courage – she is now financially independent – to report assault. One report of ten different facts. And that comes on top of all the other controversies surrounding the holiday park villain.
More and more misunderstanding
What does John de Mol’s ethical compass say about this? “A private matter.” It leads to more and more misunderstanding, because what kind of signal is this to Nicol and all other women in the Netherlands who report and have reported abuse? That domestic violence is a private matter that should be resolved privately somewhere?
Hiding behind a private matter is a travesty given the personal nature of Peter’s real life soap and you can also wonder to what extent it is relevant to await the verdict of the judge. If Peter isn’t convicted, it doesn’t mean nothing happened, it just means there isn’t enough evidence.
Nicole speaking
RTL Boulevard, the most important show section in the Netherlands, gives Nicol the stage she deserves. Women like her, who eventually find the courage to stand up to their alleged attacker, should serve as an example for people who are in the same situation. Is she still scared? “Yes, for Peter? Absolute.”
She continues: “The limit was reached a long time ago, but you still have to see that you stop. The bucket was full, so to speak. With my managers next to me who support me in everything, I am now strong enough, I am no longer alone and I have therefore dared to go against it.”
Why didn’t she leave Peter sooner? “Basically because I was just afraid of what Peter would do.”
‘Not tolerable’
The experts of RTL Boulevard are extremely critical of the fact that John de Mol seems to turn a blind eye here. “It has to be proven, but physical violence is not possible. You can’t tolerate that in a relationship. Not anywhere. If it is, and she has made that report, then there must be a lawsuit,” says Aran Bade.
Colleague Luuk Ikink: “The real life soap around Peter Gillis is still running. Bizarrely enough, but well…”
Aran: “Yes, I really don’t understand that.”
Luuk: “That’s incredible, isn’t it?”
U-turn?
A spokesperson for Talpa now seems to be making a somewhat retreating move: “We are closely monitoring developments surrounding the lawsuit. The current season of Familie Gillis: Massa is Kassa runs until July 11 on SBS 6. We will only make a decision about a possible continuation of the series after the judge’s ruling.”
Aran: “Yes, I understand that they may say that because it has been sold or something, but they are now just suffering a loss of image, I think, as a channel. If you want to identify yourself with a man like that who wants to be on TV again tonight, I really don’t get it. All the more so because many other cases are pending, apart from this case.”
The case against Peter Gillis will be heard on August 29.
Fragment
Nicole speaking: