Mayor Boy Scholtze van Drimmelen is shocked, but ‘combative’ after a resident of the municipality insulted, threatened and even almost ran him over. “There was a clear reference to my sexual orientation. It crossed a line for me. That’s why I filed a report.” The suspect, a 76-year-old man from Made, was arrested.
The 32-year-old mayor of Drimmelen says he is especially shocked. “As a person, this certainly does something to me. Yes, this scares you,” he says to Omroep Brabant. He cannot say how hard the man hit him. “He tried to run into me. I don’t know what you would do, but I was happy to step aside.” He does not want to say how fast that went, due to the police investigation.
At the same time he is combative. “A line has been crossed here when it comes to aggression and intimidation. In a form that we should not condone and we do not.” This applies not only to a mayor, but ‘anyone who serves the public good’, Scholtze believes.
“I have had a lot of messages of support. That really makes me feel good.”
The mayor says he has received many expressions of support after the news. “Many residents have approached me, I have received flowers and drawings from children. I have also received a lot of support on social media, from colleagues from all over the country and this morning I also had Hugo de Jonge, the Minister of the Interior, at the line. That really makes me happy.”
Scholtze has reported threats, attempted serious assault, discrimination and insult. The police and the Public Prosecution Service are now on the case and are investigating. The 76-year-old man had previous problems with the municipality. For that reason he was no longer allowed to come near the town hall. Due to the ongoing investigation, the mayor cannot say why and with what issues he had problems.
“Isn’t it time we live and let live together?”
The mayor has another message when it comes to these types of offensive comments when it comes to sexual orientation. “It’s 2023. Isn’t it time we live and let live together?”
When he was installed as mayor in December 2022, Boy Scholtze was the youngest mayor in the Netherlands at 31 years old.
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This is not the first time the mayor has faced intimidation