Increasing threats and violence against journalists in the Netherlands
IPI and EFJ, as part of the MFRR, condemns the violence and threats directed at journalists and media workers covering unrest in cities and towns across The Netherlands in opposition to the state’s COVID-19 response
The International Press Institute (IPI) and European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) expressed serious concern over the recent increase in threats and violence against journalists in the Netherlands. Over a couple of days at the end of January 2021, several journalists and TV crews have been threatened, insulted or physically attacked by groups of rioters as they covered unrest sparked by the Dutch government’s newly imposed COVID-19 curfew restrictions.
These instances of violence and threats are the most visible examples yet of a rising anti-press sentiment within certain segments of Dutch society – a trend particularly jarring in a country which enjoys one the highest levels of press freedom in the world and is known for its defence of independent journalism on the global stage.
