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NOS News•today, 20:24
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You can see them on lampposts, along highways and on the back of trucks: Dutch flags with the blue strip at the top. It is a sign of support for farmers in the Netherlands and of resistance to the nitrogen measures, but not everyone is happy with this reversal of the Dutch flag.
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“There are hundreds of flags here,” says a spokesperson for the municipality of Nieuwkoop. Many farmers live and work in this place in South Holland. “We are still orienting ourselves on how to deal with it, but at least we are not going to pull the flags off immediately.”
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Many flags hang upside down in the nearby municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn, including in the town of Hazerswoude-Dorp. There they are attached to lampposts in several streets. “It happened at night this weekend,” says a resident who wishes to remain anonymous. “I had already read on Facebook that a lot had been hung up further down the road, so it didn’t come as a surprise.”
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In Hazerswoude-Dorp there has been mixed reaction to the action of the farmers:
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The inverted NL flag as a protest: ‘outrageous’ or ‘good action’?
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The turning of flags has come over from the United States, suspects David van Berlo. He is a historian and chairman of the Dutch Association for Flag Studies. “There is an extensive flag law there, which states that you can turn the flag in an emergency. This was also used in Dutch shipping in the past.”
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But in the United States, hanging the flag upside down also became a symbol for protest movements that wanted to communicate that they saw the country in need. This was repeated during protests during the Vietnam War (1955-1975), but also in lawsuits against the stormers of the Capitol.
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EPA
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Van Berlo saw the inverted flag as a protest for the first time in the Netherlands during the Yellow Vest demonstrations in 2018. After that, it was passed by, among other things, during demonstrations against the corona measures.
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In addition to a large group of people expressing support for the flag protest on social media, there is also criticism. Maarten Brink, spokesperson for the police union ACP, writes on Twitter: “I don’t think it belongs. Disrespectful for the flag and your country”.
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Legally permitted
That sentiment is also shared by others who created the hashtags #roodhoortboven and #roodomhoog on Twitter, after which opponents massively shared the hashtags #blauwhoortboven and #blauwomhoog. Van Berlo: “It is legally permitted in the Netherlands to use the flag in this way, but I can imagine that some people are not happy with it. Ultimately, this is a flag for all Dutch people, which a group now appropriates. for political purposes.”
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Wilfred Honkoop is one of the people who has an upside-down flag hanging at his house. He lives in Nieuwolda in East Groningen. “I hung the flag last week. I live in the countryside and there is a lot of discontent there.” He mentions, among other things, the earthquakes as the reason and the allowance affair. He understands that people can take offense. “It’s not nice to hang the flag like this. I know that too. But I want to let you know: it’s not going well. We can’t do anything else.”
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The woman from Hazerswoude-Dorp does not fully support the nitrogen protests, she says. But as far as she’s concerned, the dozens of flags that hang in her street can remain. “It is a peaceful action. Better this than the farmers driving their tractors on the highway.”
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The flags are therefore still being discussed in the nearby municipality of Nieuwkoop. According to the spokesperson, there are few questions or comments about the flags. “Many people here work in the agricultural sector. We also understand this action. It is quite a clear signal to the government.”
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