The Farmers Defence Force protest group handed out Star of David-shaped stickers at a demonstration in the Netherlands, evoking the yellow badges Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust.
The stickers featured the letter B, the first letter of the Dutch word “boer,” meaning farmer. The group’s leader defended the move, saying it was intended to illustrate the “great injustice” being done to farmers. The Jewish organization CIDI strongly condemned the action, accusing the protesters of trivializing the Holocaust and misusing history.
Dutch media reported that the stickers were distributed last Friday during a farmers’ protest in Den Bosch. Mark van den Oever, leader of Farmers Defence Force, said the move was intended “to emphasize our position, that a very great injustice is being done to us.” He added that “as an action group you sometimes have to be able to walk on the edge.”
Van den Oever also compared the situation facing Dutch farmers to the persecution of Jews during World War II. Asked whether the comparison was inappropriate, he replied: “Withdrawing permits is also inappropriate.”
The move drew sharp criticism. During the demonstration, police asked one of the group’s activists to remove the sticker from his shirt, and he complied.
Farmers' protest in the Netherlands
(Photo: Ramon Vegelien/ANP/AFP)
Freek Vergeer, a researcher at the Center for Information and Documentation Israel, or CIDI, said farmers have the right to protest if they believe they are being treated unfairly, but condemned the use of symbols associated with the persecution of Jews.
“This comparison has nothing to do with it and is very reprehensible,” he said. He described it as a misuse of history for personal gain and said the group’s leader had “little historical awareness.” CIDI has previously condemned similar Holocaust comparisons used in Dutch protests.
CIDI noted that the Star of David had also been used in a similar way during protests over COVID-19 restrictions. The organization urged protesters to study history and read books about World War II. “Then they will no longer get it into their heads to make such a backward comparison,” Verhoeven said.
According to CIDI, distributing the stickers was intended to shock and attract attention. “I am afraid that they have achieved their goal with that again,” the researcher said.
Farmers' protest in the Netherlands
(Photo: Jeroen Jumelet/ANP/AFP)
The protest came amid farmers’ opposition to the Dutch government’s nitrogen policy, under which farms near protected natural areas could face restrictions or closure in an effort to meet nitrogen emissions targets. Farmers Defence Force has been a prominent force in protests against Dutch nitrogen policy in recent years.
Van den Oever said the government and the province of North Brabant needed to “come to their senses.”