Dutchman revives social activism among his peers

Check out the website of Jeremy’s organization, Basta Debat.

From DW reporter Laura Potsma:

There is a little sticker that I have noticed in a couple of cities in the Netherlands. It has a black and white image of the Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders and it is crossed with a thick, red cross. I have no idea who is behind these stickers, but I had always seen it as a form of silent activism. Physical protests have become rare in this country, but I hadn’t even realized that until I met Jeremy.

Jeremy reminded me that the Netherlands has always been a country with a rich activist movement. Other countries took us as an example, like the Germans did in the 1980s. And when I thought about it, it seemed to make sense that a liberal, open-minded country like the Netherlands would have lively groups of activists.

Why this has changed in the last two decades, I don’t really know. But Jeremy has shown me that even though the Dutch streets seem empty of demonstrators, activism is not dead in the Netherlands. His determination to fight for justice, for causes he strongly believes in, was a great learning experience for me. He wants his voice to be heard, even if there is sometimes only one person listening. And that is the opposite of silent activism.