Willem was arrested again 2 days after being released.
Willem was jailed for 2 weeks, the police who arrested him told him that he was doing his job, but agrees with Willems vision. Willem did received over 10.000 post cards during his detention.
Watch video here in Dutch, were he is calling his lawyer and telling that 2 police vans forces him to stop (he was on his way to speak on a demonstration). He is handcuffed, police does not want to tell him where they will deport him to and are refusing to give their names.
viruswaarheid.nl /juridisch/arrestatie-willem-engel-overschrijdt-nieuwe-grens/
19/3/2022
by mr. Jeroen Pols
This article has been copied in full from De Andere Krant
Many people reacted with shock to the arrest of Willem Engel last Wednesday. And rightly so, because the Dutch government crossed a new line in its war against unwanted opinions and expressions. The arrest is related to a criminal report of Norbert Dikkeboom, who lives in Harderwijk, which was established with the active help of the Public Prosecution Service and the police. An unprecedented hate campaign from the entire written and spoken media led to more than 22,000 statements of support. Virus truth, apart from contributions on radio, television and social media, counted more than 420 articles in the past year that smeared him with slanderous lies. Without a doubt, Willem became the most famous activist in the Netherlands about whom everyone has an opinion.
The arrest was made on charges of sedition, incitement to commit crimes against public authorities. A remarkable indictment, which goes against the core message of love, patience, connection, respect and non-violence that Willem has tirelessly propagated over the past two years. “We are the decent people” is his permanent motto. Such a message apparently still poses a threat to power. It is therefore no surprise that a government with totalitarian ambitions has it in its sights. Criminal law is an instrument here to silence Willem.
The festive mood among his opponents after the announcement of his arrest, on the other hand, is shocking. Apparently, after two years of dictatorial rule, many people feel comfortable in a society where the state determines which opinions can be heard. However, history shows that eliminating confrontations with uncomfortable opinions leads to an inhumane and self-destructive society.
Tolerating unwelcome or objectionable opinions is the core of a democratic constitutional state. Bad ideas can only be combated by free speech and not by censorship. A free society relies on the exchange of new ideas and a multitude of ways of life and moral views, regardless of whether or not one may feel offended by them. Different views on life that enter into dialogue with each other, so that people can learn from each other. Criticism enables us to adjust insights and expand our knowledge.
The right to express an opinion without fear of persecution is therefore explicitly included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights. A right that is inextricably linked to human dignity. It is not for nothing that the oft-quoted Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire wrote in 1770, “I abhor what you say, but I will defend your right to say it with my life”.
In order to maintain a liveable society, it is therefore very important that we fight together for the right to disagree. That is why I hope that on Sunday 20 March, supporters and opponents on the Museumplein in Amsterdam will make a voice heard for the release of Willem.