Journalists in the Netherlands Face Increased Incidents: A Rise in Threats, Intimidation, and Physical Violence
© ANP, 06 January 2025
Journalists in the Netherlands have been confronting an uptick in incidents while carrying out their duties, with the number of reported incidents surging to 249 in 2024, according to PersVeilig, the organization tasked with safeguarding the press. This marks a significant increase from the 218 incidents recorded in 2023 and 198 in 2022, though it’s still below the 271 incidents reported in 2021, a year heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Threefold Increase in Physical Assaults
The sharpest rise was observed in cases involving threats, intimidation, or physical violence, particularly during demonstrations and riots. Last year, journalists faced such circumstances nearly three times more often than in 2023, with 43 incidents compared to 15 the previous year. Notably, many of these incidents occurred during pro-Palestine riots in Amsterdam, according to PersVeilig. The overall increase is largely attributed to these incidents.
Nature of Incidents
The most common issues journalists faced were threats (99 times), discrimination or intimidation (72 times), and physical violence (56 times). Physical assaults saw a marked increase, from 29 incidents in 2023 to 56 in 2024, with 31 of those involving actual abuse. Reports of discrimination or intimidation also rose, from 42 in 2023 to 72 in 2024. Conversely, the number of reported threats dropped from 125 in 2023 to 99 in 2024.
A majority of these aggressive acts were carried out verbally (68 times) or via social media (46 times).
Coordinated Efforts for Journalist Safety
PersVeilig, a collaborative initiative of the Journalists’ Union (NVJ) and the Netherlands Association of Newspaper Publishers (NHP), works alongside police and law enforcement to ensure journalists’ safety. These efforts have shown results, most notably at the Ameland Sunneklaas event this year, where journalists were able to report without incidents following the disturbances experienced in 2023.
As the lines between freedom of expression and intimidation continue to blur, it’s vital to reinforce the importance of press freedom and the safety of journalists, the pillars that uphold a robust democracy.
