{"id":8255,"date":"2026-02-17T16:18:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:18:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/?p=8255"},"modified":"2026-02-17T16:18:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:18:44","slug":"elsc-submits-objection-against-dutch-governments-proposal-to-ban-face-coverings-at-demonstrations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/elsc-submits-objection-against-dutch-governments-proposal-to-ban-face-coverings-at-demonstrations\/","title":{"rendered":"ELSC\u00a0Submits Objection Against Dutch Government&#8217;s\u00a0Proposal to\u00a0Ban\u00a0Face\u00a0Coverings at\u00a0Demonstrations\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading8255_fc6f92-18, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading8255_fc6f92-18[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading8255_fc6f92-18\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading8255_fc6f92-18 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading8255_fc6f92-18[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading8255_fc6f92-18\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading8255_fc6f92-18 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading8255_fc6f92-18[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading8255_fc6f92-18\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading8255_fc6f92-18 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading8255_fc6f92-18\">The\u00a0European\u00a0Legal\u00a0Support\u00a0Center\u00a0(ELSC)\u00a0has\u00a0submitted\u00a0an objection\u00a0to\u00a0a\u00a0bill\u00a0from the Dutch government\u00a0that\u00a0aims to prohibit\u00a0face\u00a0coverings at demonstrations.\u00a0If implemented,\u00a0the law will endanger protestors\u00a0mobilising\u00a0against the Dutch government&#8217;s complicity in genocide and\u00a0settler\u00a0colonialism in Palestine. The ELSC encourages everyone, both residents\u00a0and\u00a0organisations\u00a0in the Netherlands, to\u00a0submit\u00a0objections to\u00a0this\u00a0latest\u00a0attempt to\u00a0suppress dissent. This can be done\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.internetconsultatie.nl\/verbodgezichtsbedekkendekledingdemonstraties\/b1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">via the\u00a0public\u00a0consultation portal<\/a>\u00a0until\u00a0<strong>Sunday,\u00a022 February 2026<\/strong>.\u00a0<br>\u00a0<br>The Dutch police\u00a0are\u00a0increasingly\u00a0known for\u00a0their\u00a0unlawful surveillance\u00a0of protestors.\u00a0Back in June 2023, Amnesty International\u00a0published\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/documents\/eur35\/6650\/2023\/nl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a report<\/a>\u00a0exposing\u00a0unlawful\u00a0data\u00a0collection\u00a0by\u00a0the\u00a0Dutch\u00a0police.\u00a0About two and a half years\u00a0later,\u00a0the police\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/extinctionrebellion.nl\/extinction-rebellion-en-pilp-klacht-tegen-politie-vanwege-onrechtmatig-cameratoezicht-tijdens-rode-lijn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">surveilled<\/a>\u00a0250,000 protestors\u00a0at the Red Line demonstration on 5 October 2025.\u00a0Just\u00a0last week,\u00a0the investigative\u00a0media outlet\u00a0<em>De Correspondent\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/decorrespondent.nl\/16696\/geen-crimineel-geen-terrorist-toch-geschaduwd-zo-volgt-de-politie-vreedzame-activisten\/6cf58407-14be-015c-3d41-e757f20ca1c3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">revealed the existence of\u00a0<\/a>an insidious\u00a0police\u00a0unit\u00a0called the TOOI\u00a0that shadows activists\u00a0even for having a\u00a0sticker\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0Palestinian flag\u00a0on their refrigerator.\u00a0Since\u00a0October 2023,\u00a0the ELSC has registered\u00a0six\u00a0house visits by the police aimed\u00a0at\u00a0intimidating\u00a0anti-genocide protestors\u00a0\u2013 and this is\u00a0only\u00a0the\u00a0tip of the iceberg.\u00a0This\u00a0number\u00a0also\u00a0does not include the incidents the ELSC\u00a0has\u00a0registered\u00a0that include\u00a0phone calls\u00a0from the police\u00a0to activists\u00a0or their social circles.\u00a0<br>\u00a0<br><strong>Protesting anonymously has become a necessity<\/strong>\u00a0<br>With an increasingly\u00a0fascist\u00a0and\u00a0unaccountable\u00a0police force,\u00a0anonymous\u00a0protests\u00a0have\u00a0become\u00a0a necessity.\u00a0Anonymity\u00a0protects\u00a0individuals\u00a0from\u00a0(state) intimidation,\u00a0doxing, (online) threats,\u00a0and\u00a0possible\u00a0retaliation\u00a0from employers, universities,\u00a0and\u00a0authorities\u00a0abroad.\u00a0Where protest carries risks of disciplinary action, workplace suspension, or threats to immigration or citizenship status, many will choose not to\u00a0participate\u00a0at all.\u00a0Such deterrence is\u00a0the point of a bill such as this one. It is\u00a0part\u00a0of a repressive logic that\u00a0operates\u00a0through intimidation and isolation to\u00a0contain\u00a0and suppress protest by increasing the risks of participation.\u00a0The pattern in other countries,\u00a0for example\u00a0as documented in\u00a0the ELSCs\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.index-of-repression.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Index of Repression in Germany<\/a>,\u00a0leaves no doubt about the consequences of passing this bill: persecution, criminalisation,\u00a0threats to\u00a0immigration status, and other forms of repression.\u00a0The ELSC has seen this play out in other countries, and there is\u00a0little\u00a0reason to expect the Netherlands\u00a0to\u00a0be any different,\u00a0considering the systematic repression of Palestine solidarity in the\u00a0country\u00a0as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/elsc.support\/resource\/the-attempt-to-chill-palestinian-rights-advocacy-in-the-netherlands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our 2021 report already demonstrated<\/a>.\u00a0<br>\u00a0<br><strong>The new\u00a0government<\/strong>\u00a0<br>While the outgoing government introduced the bill, the\u00a0new,\u00a0similarly\u00a0right-wing,\u00a0D66-led government, which\u00a0begins its tenure this month,\u00a0has\u00a0also\u00a0announced in its coalition agreement that it\u00a0will\u00a0amend\u00a0the Public Assemblies Act (<em>Wet\u00a0Openbare\u00a0Manifestaties<\/em>). This makes the bill dangerous and\u00a0highlights the urgency of resisting\u00a0it.\u00a0The draft bill is\u00a0currently\u00a0open for public consultation,\u00a0giving residents and organisations the opportunity to respond to the proposal.\u00a0<br>\u00a0<br>The ELSC has\u00a0submitted\u00a0such an objection;\u00a0please find it\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.internetconsultatie.nl\/verbodgezichtsbedekkendekledingdemonstraties\/reactie\/331061\/bestand\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.\u00a0<br>\u00a0<br>Submitting objections \u2013 and\u00a0mobilising\u00a0others to do the same\u00a0\u2013\u00a0is\u00a0possible until 22 February via\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.internetconsultatie.nl\/verbodgezichtsbedekkendekledingdemonstraties\/b1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this link<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading8255_5d8d5e-b6, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading8255_5d8d5e-b6[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading8255_5d8d5e-b6\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading8255_5d8d5e-b6 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading8255_5d8d5e-b6[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading8255_5d8d5e-b6\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading8255_5d8d5e-b6 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading8255_5d8d5e-b6[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading8255_5d8d5e-b6\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading8255_5d8d5e-b6 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading8255_5d8d5e-b6\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The\u00a0European\u00a0Legal\u00a0Support\u00a0Center\u00a0(ELSC)\u00a0has\u00a0submitted\u00a0an objection\u00a0to\u00a0a\u00a0bill\u00a0from the Dutch government\u00a0that\u00a0aims to prohibit\u00a0face\u00a0coverings at demonstrations.\u00a0If implemented,\u00a0the law will endanger protestors\u00a0mobilising\u00a0against the Dutch government&#8217;s complicity in genocide and\u00a0settler\u00a0colonialism in Palestine. The ELSC encourages everyone, both residents\u00a0and\u00a0organisations\u00a0in the Netherlands, to\u00a0submit\u00a0objections to\u00a0this\u00a0latest\u00a0attempt to\u00a0suppress dissent. This can be done\u00a0via the\u00a0public\u00a0consultation portal\u00a0until\u00a0Sunday,\u00a022 February 2026.\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":8256,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[130,3],"tags":[112],"test-2":[],"country":[],"blog_categories":[],"class_list":["post-8255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-urgent-call","category-case-update","tag-anti-palestinian-racism"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":130,"label":"Calls to Action"},{"value":3,"label":"Case Update"}],"post_tag":[{"value":112,"label":"Anti-Palestinian Racism"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/elsc.support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/elsc-1024x576.png",1024,576,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Bashar","author_link":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/author\/bashar\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":130,"name":"Calls to Action","slug":"urgent-call","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":130,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Urgent and non-urgent actions for the public to take.","parent":0,"count":17,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":130,"category_count":17,"category_description":"Urgent and non-urgent actions for the public to take.","cat_name":"Calls to Action","category_nicename":"urgent-call","category_parent":0},{"term_id":3,"name":"Case Update","slug":"case-update","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Updates on legal cases ELSC is working on.","parent":0,"count":32,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":3,"category_count":32,"category_description":"Updates on legal cases ELSC is working on.","cat_name":"Case Update","category_nicename":"case-update","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":112,"name":"Anti-Palestinian Racism","slug":"anti-palestinian-racism","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":112,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"Discrimination against Palestinians","parent":0,"count":60,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8255"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8257,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8255\/revisions\/8257"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8255"},{"taxonomy":"test-2","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/test-2?post=8255"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=8255"},{"taxonomy":"blog_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_categories?post=8255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}