Extremism also works well as a half-truth. An activist who launches an extreme plan does not necessarily have to carry it out: the announcement is often enough for lavish media attention. So the foreman of Farmers Defense Force (FDF) who in de Volkskrant alluding to food blockages, it was probably best to wait and see. Let’s see first. Because those who are serious will never announce extreme actions: the greater the surprise, the more extensive the media attention.
The reaction of some politicians to the FDF leader, who also spoke about new home visits to Minister Christianne van der Wal (Stikstof, VVD), surprised me just as much. In particular, Minister Dilan Yesilgöz (Justice, VVD) and Member of Parliament Caroline van der Plas (BBB) jumped out† Yesilgöz thought the intimidation of Van der Wal was “over the border”, Van der Plas is not only against house visits to politicians, but also against food blockades, she wrote.
But the interesting thing is: three weeks ago, June 2, these two had a very different debate about FDF. In the Chamber, Van der Plas pointed to a settlement that Justice had concluded with FDF. An NCTV threat image from May 2020 had called FDF (“excess farmer protest fuels polarization”) and the farmer’s club felt unfairly portrayed as “extremist”. After a hearing, the parties agreed a settlement: according to the NCTV, FDF is not extremist but “activist”. Yesilgöz and Van der Plas were there in the Chamber totally agree†
Excuse me? The year prior to that threat assessment, FDF made quite a splash. After a compromise on nitrogen in Brabant, the FDF leader wrote in autumn 2019: “Should we personally address CDA States members in Brabant after the betrayal of October 25?” December 2019 he compared the treatment of farmers to the holocaust. In February 2020, Prime Minister Rutte and Minister Schouten suspended consultations with the agricultural sector after a threatening message: “FDF will not allow us (-) to be betrayed by our own people.”
And whoever criticized this extremism – it happened to D66 leader Kaag and this newspaper – was sued. Not that the FDF yielded anything. Nevertheless, the NCTV was deterred after that, and so the official judgment of the Ministry of Justice became that a protester against climate policy would do the same as this uncompromising and intimidating club.
Not for the first time, politicians turned out to be blind to the true nature of FDF. So you actually already knew that after their debate, the minister and the MP would automatically have to deal with FDF behavior that they could have known since 2019. To rule is to look into the future. But looking back sometimes also helps.
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of June 21, 2022