Gideon van Meijeren, a member of the Dutch parliament, is appealing the court’s decision to sentence him to a 200-hour community service for incitement. Van Meijeren believes he was criminally convicted for expressing his opinion and sees it as an attack on everyone’s freedom. He is determined to appeal the verdict, stating, “If we do not give up, the truth will eventually prevail!”
The court found Van Meijeren guilty of two counts of incitement. The first instance occurred during a speech at a farmers’ protest in July 2022, where he mentioned the possibility of violence against the government if farms were expropriated. The second case of incitement involved an interview later that year, where he encouraged people to march to the parliament and stay there until the government was removed.
According to the court, Van Meijeren used his position as a representative to incite the public, particularly disgruntled farmers, to engage in violent actions. Despite his personal support for peaceful resistance, the court stated that his audience may not share the same sentiment.
In a video statement, Van Meijeren expressed his disappointment and called the verdict “unjust and politically motivated.” He believes that he advocated for peaceful and non-violent resistance and vows to defend himself against what he considers to be baseless accusations. He emphasized that his appeal is not just for himself but for the freedom of speech for all individuals.