The Wtmo: An Open Attack on Opposition and Free Speech

By Forum for Democracy, 5 February 2025

On 4 February, the Lower House of the Dutch Parliament debated the proposed Social Organisation Transparency Act (WTMO), put forward by former minister and current chairman of the VVD liberal party, Dilan Yeşilgöz. This law would give the government unprecedented power to wring the neck of unwanted civil society organisations. Lectures, magazines and newsletters could be banned, donations stopped, bank accounts frozen.  In short: the bill proposes the infrastructure to silence critical voices. 
 

Unclear grounds: a licence for arbitrariness

Member of Parliament Bente Becker (VVD) tried to play down the law during the debate, claiming it would be used ‘as little as possible’. But why then does the government give itself such far-reaching powers? The answer is simple: laws are always interpreted more broadly than proposed beforehand. What is sold as a measure against extremists today can be used against any critical movement tomorrow.

The proposal states that the government may intervene in ‘activities aimed at undermining, or threatening to undermine, the democratic rule of law or public authority’.  But nowhere does the law specify exactly what this means; it is a highly subjective criterion that is open to political interpretation and can very easily be misused against certain opposition groups. 

This makes this law even more dangerous, especially since the Dutch intelligence service AIVD has already said that ‘spreading the message that you cannot trust the government and other democratic institutions’ is an ‘undermining activity’ in its 2022 annual report. In line with this, even Forum for Democracy's systemic criticism has been labelled ‘anti-institutional extremism’ by the intelligence services (which operate under the control of the government). 

Judiciary as a political weapon
 

We increasingly see the judiciary being used to silence government critics.
 

• Last week, it was announced that the public prosecutor's office launched a criminal investigation into Ongehoord Nederland, the only truly critical broadcaster, because of a job advert in which the broadcaster refused to acknowledge that there are more than two ‘genders’.
• Thierry Baudet has been convicted for raising the issue of far-reaching fundamental rights restrictions during the Covid pandemic.
• Pepijn van Houwelingen has been condemned for posting a meme on Twitter warning against the totalitarian nature of the SDG agenda.
• Gideon van Meijeren is being prosecuted for calling for peaceful resistance to the government because it ‘might lead people to believe that violence would be permissible.’ . 

If this law is passed, government-critical organisations could soon be drained and gagged with the greatest of ease. Forum for Democracy remains firmly committed to freedom of expression, even if those opinions can be abrasive or hurtful. 

The WTMO is just one example of how our freedoms are being eroded. We cannot fight our fight for freedom alone. Become a member, support our movement and make sure your loved ones join too.