Tag: netherlands

Dutch farmers protest across the country in response to proposed environmental laws

Farmers all across the Netherlands have banded together in recent weeks to protest newly proposed emission cuts that would devastate the livestock industry, with farmers shutting down major city centers, distribution centers, airports, and more across the small European country.

On Tuesday evening, police fired upon farmers in their tractors.

Police said that they were responding to a “threatening situation” in which farmers were attempting to drive their tractors into officers and service vehicles at just before 11 pm.

According to Friesland police, officers issued warning shots as well as more targeted shots.

One tractor was shot, with the tractor being stopped shortly after. Three people were arrested, and no injuries were reported.

Due to shots being fired, The Rijksrecherche, the Dutch government’s internal investigator, has been requested to conduct an investigation into the matter.

Keep reading

AI FLOP: Dutch Court Annules Couple’s Marriage Over ChatGPT Speech

It may have been artificial, but in this case, it was not intelligent.

We live in a world where the power of Artificial Intelligence is starting to impact many aspects of our lives – and not always for the best.

Case in point: a Dutch couple had their marriage annulled after the person officiating used a ChatGPT-generated speech.

Yes, you read it right.

The AI speech that was intended to be ‘playful’ but authorities decided that ‘it failed to meet legal requirements.’

This was announced in a court ruling published this week.

Reuters reported:

“The pair from the city of Zwolle, whose names were redacted from the January 5 decision under Dutch privacy rules, argued that they had intended to marry regardless of whether the right wording was used when they took their vows.

According to the decision, the person officiating their ceremony last April 19 asked whether they would ‘continue supporting each other, teasing each other and embracing each other, even when life gets difficult’.”

Keep reading

Dutch scientists discover ancient cannabis enzyme with pain-relief potential

Researchers at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) reported a discovery that an ancient ancestor of the cannabis plant produced a compound with anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, opening potential new avenues for medical use.

The team investigated how compounds like THC, CBD, and CBC emerged in cannabis. To do this, they reconstructed extinct enzymes that were active millions of years ago in the plant’s ancestors. These enzymes are crucial in producing cannabinoid compounds.

“In modern cannabis plants, specific enzymes produce cannabinoids such as THC, CBD, and CBC,” WUR researcher Robin van Velzen told NU.nl. “But the ancestral enzymes could produce multiple cannabinoids simultaneously.”

These “ancestral enzymes” are simpler to produce in microorganisms, such as yeast, compared with their modern counterparts, making them easier to harness.

“These ancestral enzymes are more robust and flexible than their descendants, making them very attractive starting points for biotechnology and medicine,” Velzen said.

One enzyme of particular interest produces a high level of CBC, a cannabinoid known for anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects. “Currently, no cannabis plant produces high levels of CBC, so introducing this enzyme into a plant could lead to innovative medicinal varieties,” Van Velzen said.

Keep reading

Bill Gates, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Ordered to Testify in Dutch COVID Vaccine Injury Lawsuit

Bill Gates and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla will have to appear in person in the Netherlands to testify at a hearing in a COVID-19 vaccine injury lawsuit, a Dutch court ruled late last month.

The court order relates to a lawsuit filed in 2023 by seven people injured by COVID-19 vaccines. One of the victims has since died.

The lawsuit centers around the question “of whether the COVID-19 injections are a bioweapon,” Dutch newspaper De Andere Krant reported. In addition to Gates and Bourla, the suit names 15 other defendants, including former Dutch prime minister and current NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the Dutch state, and several Dutch public health officials and journalists.

De Andere Krant said last month’s ruling “is a significant setback for the defendants, who are accused of misleading victims about the ‘safety and effectiveness’ of the vaccines.” However, it “remains to be seen” whether the defendants will comply with the court’s order and appear at next year’s hearing.

The defendants may face additional legal challenges in Dutch courts in the new year. A second lawsuit, filed in March by three COVID-19 vaccine injury victims in the Netherlands, presents a similar set of allegations and names the same defendants.

At a press conference last week, Dutch attorney Peter Stassen, who represents the vaccine-injured plaintiffs in both cases, earlier this month petitioned the courts in both cases to hear in-person testimony by five expert witnesses regarding the safety and efficacy of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

According to Stassen, oral hearings will be held in both cases next year, but hearing dates have not yet been scheduled. Stassen seeks to consolidate the cases.

Keep reading

Drones spotted near Dutch military base

Unidentified drones have been observed hovering over a military base used by Nato in the Netherlands, the Dutch defence ministry has said.

It said military personnel deployed weapons to try to take down the drones spotted near Volkel Air Base, north of Eindhoven, between 19:00 and 21:00 local time (18:00-20:00 GMT) on Friday.

The defence ministry said the devices “departed and were never recovered”.

The Netherlands is among a number of northern European nations to be blighted by drone sightings around military installations and airfields in recent months. Russia has denied accusations it was involved in previous incidents.

Dutch police are investigating Friday’s incident. Officials said that for security reasons they would provide no further details about how the drones or what action was taken.

As well as being used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force, Volkel Air Base hosts a US Air Force squadron as part of Nato.

The incident follows reports of drone sightings at other Dutch air bases in the past few weeks, as well as facilities in neighbouring Belgium, Denmark and Germany.

The sightings have disrupted air traffic and raised security concerns.

A lack of evidence pointing to their origins has plagued investigations into the incidents since they began in September, as in many cases the drones depart after a while.

Some European officials have attributed the sightings to “hybrid warfare” on the part of Russia, as the nations that have been targeted are all allied to Ukraine.

But the Kremlin has denied it has anything to do with past incursions.

Defence ministers from 10 EU countries have agreed to create a “drone wall” in response to the sightings, while some individual nations have sought to secure anti-drone defence measures.

Keep reading

Dutch court upholds arms exports to Israel despite acknowledging ‘grave risk’ of genocide

A Dutch appeals court on 6 November confirmed the dismissal of a case filed by pro-Palestinian organizations demanding that the Netherlands end arms exports to Israel and cease trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In its written judgment, the court said it was not within the judiciary’s authority to dictate such measures, stating that the decision lies with the government.

The plaintiffs argued that as a signatory to the 1948 Genocide Convention, the Dutch state is obliged to take all available steps to prevent genocide, citing Israel’s ongoing mass killing of civilians in Gaza. 

The court agreed that the Netherlands holds that legal obligation and acknowledged “a grave risk” that Israel is committing genocide.

However, the judges maintained that the government already evaluates the risk of human rights abuses before approving military exports and noted that some applications have been denied.

The court also upheld an earlier ruling from December last year that sided with the Dutch state, which claimed it had taken sufficient precautions and halted certain shipments.

The pro-Palestine groups had alleged that Dutch companies supplied Israel with radar systems, F-16 components, warship equipment, police dogs, surveillance cameras, and software. 

The government countered that it has stopped most arms exports to Israel and now only authorizes deliveries of parts used in defensive systems such as the Iron Dome.

Israel has rejected all accusations of genocide, despite a UN inquiry officially announcing it in mid-September, insisting its Gaza campaign targets Hamas.

The appeals court concluded that the pro-Palestine organizations failed to demonstrate that the state systematically neglects its obligations when assessing export risks and therefore could not justify a blanket ban on arms or dual-use items.

Despite their public condemnations of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, European nations remain the largest buyers of Israeli-made weapons, purchasing over $8 billion worth last year, according to Bloomberg. 

Demand is projected to grow further as NATO members prepare to raise defense spending to five percent of GDP by 2035.

The move is heavily dependent on Israel’s deeply integrated defense industries, including Elbit Systems, Rafael, and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

Keep reading

From Humanoid Encounters to Ultra-Secret Units: Mind-Bending UFO and Alien Accounts from the Netherlands!

When people think of the Netherlands, they might likely conjure up images of rides along the canals, tulips fields and windmills, or even the coffee houses that can be found in most towns and cities throughout the country. The fact is, though, the Netherlands can boast of some of the most thought-provoking and intriguing UFO and alien encounters on record, ranging from encounters with strange, humanoid figures, to sightings over air bases, and bizarre close encounters that span decades and involve some kind of strange secret security services. Moreover, these incidents continue to be reported today.

While we will explore several encounters from this side of the start of the Modern UFO Era, UFO sightings and encounters with strange humanoid entities in the Netherlands stretch back decades, at the very least.

Perhaps one of the earliest comes from the research files of Albert Rosales, and occurred in Heiden at around 10 pm on July 2nd, 1905, when a man named Soufian woke in the middle of the night to find he was looking down on himself lying in bed. As if that wasn’t strange enough, next to him was the female humanoid figure, who wore long robes and had pale grey skin. Then, the figure somehow moved directly over the top of him and was reaching towards his chest. The next thing he knew, he could feel an intense pain in his chest, almost as if this strange figure was parting his ribcage. Even though he was viewing this from above, when he tried to move he was unable to do so, suspecting he was somehow paralyzed.

Keep reading

Refugees In Holland Can Obtain Social Housing Within 14 Weeks; Locals Wait Up To 12 Years

The Netherlands is the second most densely populated country in Europe, and with surging mass immigration, has been experiencing a raging housing crisis for years.

However, despite this crisis, refugees can gain access to social housing in a mere 14 weeks, while the average Dutch citizen must wait up until 12 years. Now, efforts are being made to right this injustice for Dutch citizens with a new bill, but Council of State, the country’s highest legal advisory body, is criticizing any attempt to block housing access to refugees. The authority claims refugees should receive equal treatment, as required by the Dutch constitution.

Of course, the fact that there is no equal treatment currently, and that refugees are gaining access to social housing years before Dutch on waiting lists, does not appear to factor into the Council of State’s concerns, according to Dutch news outlet NOS.nl.

The minister behind the proposal, Mona Keijzer of the BBB party, says she is not backing down. Keijzer’s plan aims to create more affordable housing by ensuring that refugees, or “status holders,” no longer receive priority for housing solely because of their status

The Council of State argues that the proposal leads to unequal treatment, which is “contrary to the Constitution.” The Council has advised the cabinet not to submit the bill to the House of Representatives.

However, Minister Keijzer is not swayed by the advice.

“That’s kind of how the discussion is conducted in the Netherlands. And that’s a shame,” she said. Regarding the “unconstitutional” judgment, she stated, “The Constitution is not mathematics, it also states that I must take care of public housing for Dutch people.”

Keep reading

Huge legal cannabis farm told to cut smell or risk closure

A massive legal cannabis farm in the Netherlands has been told to reduce the odor coming from its facility or risk closure after more than 2,000 complaints from hundreds of residents, according to a regional Dutch environmental agency.

If the farm fails to sufficiently limit the smell, CanAdelaar – the company that operates the farm – could face fines of up to €3.5 million ($4.1 million) or risk being shut down, local authorities said after a court ruling earlier this week.

The farm is located west of the Netherlands’ second largest city Rotterdam. It opened in 2023 as part of a government scheme permitting several companies to grow cannabis under strict conditions, said DCMR Environmental Protection Agency, which monitors the business on behalf of the municipality of Voorne aan Zee, where the farm is located.

Reports of “odor nuisance” were received immediately after the farm’s opening, DCMR said in a statement first published in December but amended Wednesday.

“By August 2025, DCMR had received approximately 2,000 reports from nearly 300 different residents,” the agency said. Rotterdam’s judiciary court said in a statement Wednesday that more than 2,000 complaints had been filed.

The company has previously promised to implement “odor mitigation measures” to tackle the issue, according to DCMR.

According to DCMR, inspectors observed “odor nuisance” during multiple inspections and concluded that the company was “not always” complying with the appropriate regulations. As a result, Voorne aan Zee municipality imposed customized regulations on the farm to reduce odor, DCMR said.

Keep reading

Netherlands Labels Israel ‘Threat To National Security’ In Unprecedented Move

The Netherlands has, for the first time, included Israel on a list of states which pose a threat to its national security, according to a report from the Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV) – the country’s main counterterrorism agency. 

The report bears the title Assessment of Threats from State Actors. It notes that Israel has made efforts to manipulate and influence public opinion and policy in the Netherlands, via disinformation campaigns. 

According to the Dutch report, an Israeli ministry circulated a document to journalists and officials in the Netherlands last year, which included personal details of Dutch citizens. 

This took place after fans of the Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv carried out provocative acts after their team lost a match in Amsterdam in November 2024, triggering tension and clashes with locals. 

The report by the Dutch agency also noted concerns over threats against the International Criminal Court at The Hague, from both Washington and Tel Aviv. It said these threats could negatively affect the court’s work. 

Israel has long posed a threat to the ICC. According to a report by The Guardian from May last year, Tel Aviv has waged a years-long intimidation campaign against the ICC, which included the “stalking” and “threatening” of its officials in a bid to stifle investigations into Israeli war crimes.

Since the court issued arrest warrants against Israel’s premier and former defense minister last year, Washington has imposed sanctions on the ICC. Israel and the US are not signatories of the 1998 Rome Statute nor members of the ICC. 

The American Servicemembers’ Protection Act of 2002, nicknamed the “Hague Invasion Act,” authorizes a US president to use “all means necessary and appropriate” to free any US or allied personnel detained by the ICC. This includes the potential use of military force. The law also restricts US cooperation with and support for the ICC.

Keep reading