Minister Hugo de Jonge has filed a police report as a result of a tweet in which one anti-coronavirus protestor announced that the life-sized gallows on Dam Square on Sunday were ready and waiting for the Health Minister.

Thousands protest the Netherlands' coronavirus policy

Around 25.000 people gathered in Amsterdam on Sunday to protest against the Netherlands’ COVID-19 rules and the introduction of the coronavirus certificates. This certainly wasn’t the first so-called anti-coronavirus protest, and while it remained a peaceful protest, Sunday did see demonstrators go to serious lengths to voice their anger with the Dutch government. 

Many present wielded various signs, saying “unvaccinated lives matter” and comparing the coronavirus certificates to the yellow star Jewish people were forced to wear in Nazi Germany. Photos also circulated on Twitter of gallows erected on Dam Square, with one protestor tweeting “the gallows are ready for you Hugo.”

Gallows tweet deemed as a threat towards De Jonge

On Sunday, Dutch police said there were no criminal statements linked to the gallows, but the tweet in question was put under investigation. Since then, the Public Prosecution Service labelled the Tweet as threatening, with a spokesperson confirming the police were investigating the tweet. 

On Monday afternoon, a spokesperson for De Jonge announced the Health Minister was filing a police report as a result of the threatening tweet. “The minister always reports these and other threats,” the spokesperson explained.

Thumb: Nancy Beijersbergen via Shutterstock.