Chamber chairman Bergkamp makes a declaration: ‘It also concerns families’ | Inland

According to Bergkamp, ​​threats against politicians are an increasing problem. They are addressed to MPs and sometimes even to families of politicians, she says. “Threatening is not normal. I think it’s good that more and more reports are being filed.”

This week she will do that herself, now that the umpteenth threatening email has been sent to several MPs. “A threatening email has been sent to several MPs. And on their behalf I will report this week, it is too crazy for words that you have to do that.”

Bergkamp says he is doing everything he can to protect MPs. “There is a special team for threatened politicians. We have our own security staff. But you see that it takes more and more time and energy. It is crazy that you are wasting more and more time and energy filing a report.”

Training

Training should also offer solace. How do you deal with threats via social media? We want to teach them that. We are also expanding our team of security officers. Unfortunately I am still working on it, but there is a lot of attention for it.” In the meantime, the threats have ‘a lot of impact on MPs’, says the President of the House. “You see an increase in the number of threats, which is worrying.”

Bergkamp sees that this increase has been there since the corona crisis. “I have not made an analysis of what caused the increase. But that threatening email to several MPs is corona-related. You also see a kind of hardening since corona.”

—