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Netherlands: "Own People First" slogan approved by Dutch judge

01 March 1999

A Dutch judge has declared that, although the slogan "Our own people first" was potentially racist, this was outweighed by the right to free speech. His decision follows a demonstration by neo-nazi groups outside an asylum detention centre in Alphen aan den Rijn. Two demonstrators, one of whom was long-time fascist activist Olav Schollaardt, were arrested for using the slogan. Supporters of Schollaart, including veteran nazi Joop Glimmerveen of the Nederlands Volks Unie and Aktie Front Nationale Socialisten fuhrer, Eite Homan, cheered when the decision was announced. Schollaart is well known in Dutch far-right politics. In 1995 he was named as a member of both the Centrum Partij '86 as well as the Nederlands Blok, a potentially embarrassing event as the two outfits were feuding at the time. More recently Schollaart was arrested together with members of the FAP-Arbeiders Partij while on their way to a banned Rudolf Hess commemoration.

Alert March 1999