Dutch mayors and the families of fallen soldiers asked citizens to hang Dutch flags for Remembrance Day properly and not upside down amid ongoing protests against the country’s nitrogen policy.
In the wake of fierce disagreement between the government and farmers on handling the country’s nitrogen policy, many citizens started hanging the Dutch flag upside down as a sign of protest.
“I will not stand in the way of freedom of expression. Certainly not when someone wants to protest or demonstrate in their own home,” IJsselstein Mayor Patrick van Domburg told NOS.
“But on days like King’s Day or 4 and 5 May, seeing an upside-down flag hurts people. We need to be mindful of that, too,” he added.
Royal commissioner Arno Brok echoed this sentiment. “The effect and power of the signal are over. In deference to those who want to commemorate May 4 and Liberation Day, it is right to stop the reverse flags,” he said.
The practice of hanging flags upside down as a sign of protest was widely supported by the BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB), an agrarian protest party which won big during the regional elections last month. The party called upon its supporters to hang their flag upright again after its election success.
“For us, seeing that flag hanging upside down is painful. Our child, our parent, partner, brother or sister came home in a coffin under that same flag,” a letter published by the families of Dutch soldiers and World War II victims on LinkedIn reads.
“Their lives were lost in the service of the Dutch people. For your peace and democracy. It was years ago, but for us, it feels like yesterday,” it added.
(Benedikt Stöckl | EURACTIV.com)
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