Dutch Parliament chair urges Twitter to address threats against lawmakers

Bergkamp expressed her deep concern over recent tweets containing death threats and calls for violence, which could potentially be considered punishable under Dutch law.

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The chairwoman of the Dutch parliament, Vera Bergkamp, publicly called on Twitter to take action against threats made on the platform targeting lawmakers in the Netherlands. She expressed her concern for recent tweets containing death threats and calls for violence, which may be punishable under Dutch law. 

Geert Wilders, the leader of the anti-Islam Freedom Party, has been a frequent target of such threats for many years. Elon Musk, who bought Twitter in 2022, strongly advocates free speech and has said that he aims to prevent the platform from becoming a hub of hate and division. 

Despite acknowledging Twitter’s efforts to minimise harmful content, Bergkamp urged immediate action to protect freedom of expression. Twitter has not responded to requests for comment. Additionally, Finance Minister Sigrid Kaag, though not a member of parliament, has also faced online and offline threats, which led to discussions about her potential departure from politics.