Gideon van Meijeren

Gideon Frederik Cornelis van Meijeren (born 27 May 1988) is a Dutch civil servant and politician, who has been representing Forum for Democracy (FVD) in the House of Representatives since the 2021 general election. He also held a seat in the States of South Holland and was elected to the municipal council of The Hague in 2022. He previously worked as a legislative adviser for the government. His opposition to the government's policy to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and his statements regarding democracy – including speculation about an overthrow of the government – have drawn stark criticism from political leaders.

In this Dutch name, the surname is Van Meijeren, not Meijeren.
Gideon van Meijeren
Van Meijeren (2021)
Member of the House of Representatives
Assumed office
31 March 2021
Member of the States of South Holland
In office
28 March 2019[1] – 28 March 2023[2]
Member of the municipal council of The Hague
Assumed office
30 March 2022
Personal details
Born
Gideon Frederik Cornelis van Meijeren[3]

(1988-05-27) 27 May 1988
Doetinchem, Netherlands
Political partyForum for Democracy
Alma materRadboud University
Occupation
  • Politician
  • civil servant

Early life and career

Van Meijeren was born and raised in the Achterhoek city of Doetinchem. He has two siblings and is the middle child. Van Meijeren attended the secondary school Ulenhofcollege between 2000 and 2006 at havo level.[4][5][6] He then studied law at the Juridische Hogeschool in Tilburg, receiving his propedeuse in 2007, and followed a short officer training at the Royal Military Academy in Breda until 2008.[4] Van Meijeren worked for 3.5 years as an IT employee for the Royal Netherlands Army.[4][7]

He returned to college studying law in the years 2011–15 at Radboud University Nijmegen, and subsequently found a job as a legislative adviser at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.[4][8] He filled that same position starting in 2017 at the legislative office of the House of Representatives, offering legislative advice to any political party.[4]

Local and regional politics

Van Meijeren joined Forum for Democracy when it became a political party in 2016, and he became active within the party, having been unable to practice his political convictions in his job.[9] He started working as a legal assistant of Forum for Democracy's House caucus in November 2018.[10] He was elected to the States of South Holland as FVD's fifth candidate in the 2019 provincial elections, and he became the party's spokesperson for climate and reactive nitrogen in that legislative chamber.[5][11] He was also placed eighth on the party list in the European Parliament election two months later.[12] In the provincial council, Van Meijeren unsuccessfully called for a referendum about the construction of wind turbines and solar farms, saying that South Holland's plans were anti-democratic.[13] He also participated in a July 2020 Farmers Defence Force protest near the RIVM's headquarters in Bilthoven against a measure to limit reactive nitrogen emissions, which would affect farmers.[8]

Following a November 2020 article by Het Parool about extremist thoughts of members of the FVD's youth wing, five out of the seven provincial councilors in the States of South Holland left the party. Van Meijeren continued to be a member of Forum for Democracy and became the leader of the South Holland caucus.[14][15] A few months later, Elsevier Weekblad reported that Van Meijeren had replied "Hell no" in a WhatsApp group chat, after party leader Thierry Baudet had asked "Would you want your sister to come home with a negro?"[16] Van Meijeren explained that it was an inside joke in a discussion about institutional racism, saying that his ex-girlfriend is Antillean and that his sister is married to a person of colour.[17]

Van Meijeren decided to keep his seat in the States of South Holland when he was elected to the House of Representatives in 2021, but he stepped down as caucus leader.[1] He was Forum for Democracy's lead candidate in The Hague in the March 2022 municipal elections, leading to his election to the municipal council.[18] He was sworn in on 30 March.[19] He was also the lijstduwer of his party in the same election in Doetinchem, in which his father, Lambert van Meijeren, a former Albert Heijn branch manager, was elected to the council as FVD's lead candidate.[20][21] Van Meijeren was lijstduwer in South Holland in the March 2023 provincial elections.[22] He raised doubts about the election results in advance, saying that those in power would be willing to go far to keep out rivals.[23] Van Meijeren was re-elected to the States of South Holland due to his 10,177 preference votes, but he declined his seat.[2][22] Forum for Democracy had won two seats in total. Near the end of his term, NOS and regional broadcasters featured Van Meijeren in an article about the most absent members of provincial councils. The article noted that Van Meijeren had been absent during 13 out of 30 meetings, making him the tenth most absent provincial council member in the country.[24]

House of Representatives

He joined the Forum for Democracy's board as secretary in January 2021 and was its sixth candidate in the 2021 general election.[25][26][27] During the campaign, he said that he wanted to introduce a bill prohibiting censorship by social media companies and that he wanted the mayorship to be an elected office.[28] He also told that he feared immigration, as it would make the Netherlands unrecognizable and would ruin the welfare state.[17] He was elected to the House of Representatives with 602 preference votes, was installed on 31 March, and became FVD's spokesperson for justice, security, immigration, agriculture, nature, and the interior.[10][29][7] Van Meijeren is part of the contact group Belgium, and he is on the parliamentary Committees for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality; for the Interior; and for Justice and Security.[4]

COVID-19 pandemic

He opposed lockdowns and measures to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands, saying that its implementers would be prosecuted and locked up for taking away freedoms. He later opposed the Dutch vaccination program against the disease.[30][31] Van Meijeren's comments and actions in parliament related to the issue have sparked several controversies. In May 2021, he violated social distancing rules – in effect due to the COVID-19 pandemic – after the maiden speech of fellow member of parliament Simone Kerseboom, when he congratulated her by kissing and hugging her.[32] When the House's integrity committee received complaints about the incident, Van Meijeren stated that he did not recognize the body's authority.[33] In September, the Speaker of the House interrupted a debate contribution by Van Meijeren, when he drew a comparison between restrictions for people not vaccinated against COVID-19 and the persecution of the Jews during World War II. This occurred in a debate about violence and threats against journalists, in which Van Meijeren claimed that the mainstream media were spreading fake news and misinformation.[34] Another two months later, after fellow member of parliament Nilüfer Gündoğan had complained in a debate about intimidating emails, Van Meijeren said that he was proud that his supporters were going all out to change her mind about the government's COVID-19 policy.[35]

Van Meijeren was deprived of the floor by the Speaker in January 2022 for violating the ban on calls for lawlessness of the House's rules of procedure; he had advocated civil disobedience of COVID-19 restrictions after he had called them criminal and had expressed his distrust of the Dutch legal system. The Speaker had been criticized in the preceding days for not intervening enough.[36] Van Meijeren subsequently argued during a debate about norms that freedom of speech has come under threat in the House of Representatives.[37] In June 2022, over 300 scientists signed a letter, in which they decried attacks on the scientific community. The direct cause was Van Meijeren accusing infectionist Jaap van Dissel – noted for his work related to the COVID-19 pandemic – of corruption.[38] A documentary called Gideon: Op zoek naar de waarheid (Gideon: In search of the truth), in which Van Meijeren investigates COVID-19 vaccinations from a critical point of view, was released by Docsfair in early 2022. The documentary's premier in Tuschinski Theatre was canceled as cinema chain Pathé found it inappropriate to show a film about him in a place that was founded by a Jew who was killed as part of the Holocaust given earlier comments by Van Meijeren.[39]

Anti-democratic statements

While a House member, he told in an interview that he did not consider the Netherlands to be a democracy anymore, arguing that decisions are made in back rooms and that they cannot be changed by the parliament.[40] Van Meijeren also criticized the mainstream media in the Netherlands. In October 2022, he made a video in which he approached a Hart van Nederland journalist to hold her accountable for a mistake and compared her to a sewer rat. The action was widely condemned by other politicians including Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who called it a "new low point", as well as by the Dutch Association of Journalists.[41] Van Meijeren and his party have often expressed their belief – labeled by media as a conspiracy theory – that the government is working with the World Economic Forum (WEF), a non-governmental organization, to subjugate the population.[42][43] His comments during an interview with website Compleetdenkers in November again sparked criticism, including from the prime minister. Van Meijeren voiced his opinion that freedoms were being curtailed by the Dutch government and said that regimes exhibiting tyrannical behavior had been overthrown by the people before. He hoped that a revolution – during which people would march to the parliament building – would be peaceful but said this had often not been the case. His comments drew comparisons to the January 6 United States Capitol attack, which had occurred two years earlier.[44][45] The Public Prosecution Service announced in September 2023 that it would prosecute Van Meijeren for incitement, focusing on this comments on Compleetdenkers as well as a speech at a July 2022 farmers' protest in Tuil. In the latter, he had told that "it is permissible to violently resist the government if it were to expropriate farmers". Van Meijeren called the timing of the announcement – two months before the 2023 general election – curious, and he said it seems like political prosecution or a witch hunt.[46]

NRC wrote that Van Meijeren had become "one of the best-known FVD members due to his fierce statements." The article also noted that he often appears at anti-government demonstrations as well was in videos of the party.[47]

Personal life

Van Meijeren moved to The Hague in 2015 after completing his studies in Nijmegen.[4][48] He has a girlfriend called Carola, whom he had met during the campaign for the 2017 general election.[49]

Media reported late 2022 that Van Meijeren had to appear in court after he had violated a driving disqualification the year before. Explaining the disqualification, he told that he noticed one of his car's wheels being loose upon leaving the garage of the House of Representatives. After he had pulled over, his driver's license was suspended after he had refused to take a breathalyzer test. According to Van Meijeren, he refused to take the test as a result of intimidating comments, including ones related to his political activities, by the police officers and a suspicion that he had been followed by the police for a while. Van Meijeren told he abstains from alcohol, but some media reports seemingly contradicted this.[50] The police noticed in December 2021 that he had broken the driving ban, when they pulled him over for running a red light on a moped. Van Meijeren stated that he was unaware that the driving ban also applied to mopeds.[50] For his violation, he was ordered in March 2023 to serve 60 hours of community service, and he received a one-week suspended prison sentence. The proceedings revealed that Van Meijeren had twice before been caught driving under influence in the period 2010–11.[51]

References
  1. "G.F.C. van Meijeren". Provincie Zuid Holland (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  2. "Vergadering Provinciale Staten - afscheidsvergadering 28-03-2023" [Meeting provincial council - farewell meeting 28-03-2023]. Provincie Zuid-Holland (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  3. "Verklaring van verhoor van getuige-deskundige" [Statement of questioning of an expert witness] (PDF). BPOC 2020 (in Dutch). 15 May 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  4. "Gideon van Meijeren". Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  5. "Biografie, onderwijs en loopbaan van Gideon van Meijeren" [Biography, education, and career of Gideon van Meijeren]. Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  6. Haggeman, Henny; Opten, Niek (26 November 2022). "Is Achterhoekse Forum-Kamerlid Gideon van Meijeren echt zo radicaal? 'Hij lijkt wel geherprogammeerd'" [Is the Achterhoek Forum for Democracy House member Gideon van Meijeren really really this radical? 'He seems reprogrammed']. de Gelderlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  7. "Tweede Kamer" [House of Representatives]. FVD (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  8. Mebius, Dion (18 March 2021). "Van Fortuyns chauffeur tot de schrijver van een opzienbarende roman: een bonte stoet getrouwen komt met Baudet de Kamer in" [From Fortuyn's chauffeur to the author of a sensational novel]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  9. "Compleetdenkers Aflevering #26 Gideon van Meijeren" (in Dutch). Compleetdenkers. 13 November 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2023 – via YouTube.
  10. "Mr. G.F.C. (Gideon) van Meijeren". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  11. "Uitslag provincie Zuid-Holland provinciale statenverkiezing 2019" [South Holland results 2019 provincial elections]. Kiesraad (in Dutch). 25 March 2019. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  12. Joosten, Carla (27 March 2019). "De 100 van Thierry Baudet" [Thierry Baudet's 100]. Elsevier Weekblad (in Dutch). Vol. 75, no. 13. p. 10.
  13. Belt, Jan (24 September 2020). "Plannen voor meer zonneparken en windmolens 'leugenachtig', dus wil Forum een referendum" [Plans for more solar farms and wind turbines 'mendacious', so Forum wants a referendum]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  14. Straatsma, Erna (5 December 2020). "Groot deel Statenfractie Forum Zuid-Holland gaat zonder Thierry Baudet verder; twee leden blijven partijleider trouw [update]" [Large part provincial caucus South Holland Forum continues without Thierry Baudet; two members remain loyal to party leader [update]]. Leidsch Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  15. Haggeman, Henny (23 February 2021). "Achterhoeks stemmen tijdens de verkiezingen? Deze tien Achterhoekers staan op de lijst" [Voting for someone from the Achterhoek in the election? These ten Achterhoek residents are on the party list]. de Gelderlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  16. Den Hartog, Tobias (10 February 2021). "Amper vijf weken voor de verkiezingen liggen ook Baudets discipelen onder vuur" [Barely five weeks before the elections, Baudet's followers are also under fire]. Het Parool (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  17. Van Meijeren, Gideon (7 March 2021). "Gideon van Meijeren (FVD): "Ik denk dat we de grote verrassing worden"" [Gideon van Meijeren (FVD): "I think we will be the big surprise"]. Den Haag FM (Interview) (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  18. "Kamerlid Gideon van Meijeren lijsttrekker Forum voor Democratie in Den Haag" [House member Gideon van Meijeren Forum for Democracy's lead candidate in The Hague]. Omroep West (in Dutch). 2 February 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  19. "KIJK MEE: Installatie van de nieuwe raadsleden in de gemeenteraad" [WATCH: Swearing in of new councilors of the municipal council]. Den Haag FM (in Dutch). 30 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  20. Haggeman, Henny (4 February 2022). "Lambert van Meijeren, vader van Tweede Kamerlid Gideon, lijsttrekker voor FvD in Doetinchem" [Lambert van Meijeren, father of House member Gideon van Meijeren, FVD's lead candidate in Doetinchem]. De Gelderlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  21. "Raad en college" [Council and executive]. Gemeente Doetinchem (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  22. "Proces-verbaal uitslag verkiezing Provinciale Staten Zuid Holland 2023" [Report of the results of the 2023 election for the States of South Holland]. Kiesraad (in Dutch). 27 March 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  23. Slendebroek, Wian (10 March 2023). "Forum voor Democratie kopieert Trump en zaait twijfel over het stemproces: 'Dit is spelen met vuur'" [Forum for Democracy copies Trump and raised doubts about voting process: 'This is playing with fire']. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  24. Van der Parre, Hugo (9 February 2023). "Statenleden van Forum en afsplitsingen veruit het meest afwezig bij vergaderingen" [Provincial council members of Forum and splinter parties by far the most absent at meetings]. NOS (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  25. "Partijbestuur" [Party board]. FVD (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  26. "Nevenactiviteiten van Gideon van Meijeren" [Secondary activities of Gideon van Meijeren]. Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  27. Korteweg, Ariejan (27 December 2020). "Baudet handhaaft Freek Jansen op Kamerlijst vol hardliners" [Baudet keeps Freek Jansen on party list filled with hardliners]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  28. Van Meijeren, Gideon (13 March 2021). "Gideon van Meijeren, FvD: 'Ik wil iets doen tegen de censuur op sociale media'" [Gideon van Meijeren, FVD: 'I want to do something to stop censorship on social media']. DHC (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Jeroen van Raalte. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  29. "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 17 maart 2021 Proces-verbaal" [Results general election 17 March 2021 Report] (PDF). Kiesraad (in Dutch). 29 March 2021. p. 238. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  30. Ouhajji, Majda (2 January 2022). "Stoet coronademonstranten na FVD-bijeenkomst weer terug richting Museumplein" [Parade of corona protestors back in the direction of the Museumplein after FVD meeting]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  31. Borst, Thomas (30 November 2021). "FVD-senator onthult te zijn gevaccineerd, tegen Baudets advies in" [FVD senator discloses vaccination, against the advice of Baudet]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  32. Boonman, Vera (19 May 2021). "Zoenende Kamerleden ondanks nadruk op coronaregels in Tweede Kamer" [Kissing MPs despite emphasis on corona rules in House of Representatives]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  33. Sondermeijer, Vincent (11 August 2021). "FVD'ers weigeren voor integriteitscommissie Kamer te verschijnen" [FVD members refuse to appear before the House's integrity committee]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  34. "Commotie in Kamerdebat om beweringen FVD-Kamerlid Van Meijeren" [Commotion in House debate about statements FVD House member Van Meijeren]. Dagblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). 9 September 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  35. Meesterburrie, Arjan (17 November 2021). "Kamervoorzitter wil in gesprek met fracties over bedreigingen in debatten" [Speaker of the House wants to discuss threats in debates with parliamentary groups]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  36. Du Pré, Raoul (20 January 2022). "Kamervoorzitter ontneemt FvD'er Van Meijeren het woord na oproep tot wetteloosheid". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  37. "Tweede Kamer wil dat voorzitter sneller ingrijpt bij bedreiging en intimidatie" [House of Representatives wants speaker to intervene more quickly in case of threats and intimidation]. RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 9 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  38. "Honderden wetenschappers steunen Jaap van Dissel na aanval FvD-Kamerlid" [Hundreds of scientists support Jaap van Dissel after attack FVD House member]. NOS (in Dutch). 2 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  39. "Tuschinski weigert vertoning documentaire FVD-Kamerlid Gideon van Meijeren" [Tuschinski refuses showing of documentary House member Gideon van Meijeren]. RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 12 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  40. "Nederland is géén democratie – Erik van der Horst met Gideon van Meijeren" [The Netherlands is no democracy – Erik van der Horst with Gideon van Meijeren]. Café Weltschmerz (in Dutch). 31 July 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  41. "FvD intimideert journalist met video, Rutte spreekt van nieuw dieptepunt" [FVD intimidates journalist with video, Rutte calls it a new low point]. NOS (in Dutch). 23 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  42. Den Hartog, Tobias; Van Soest, Hans (14 November 2022). "Revolte niet realistisch in Nederland: 'Boze burgers worden te makkelijk als bedreiging gezien'" [Revolution not realistic in the Netherlands: 'Angry citizens are seen to easily as a threat']. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  43. Hankel, Arne (22 September 2022). "Bijdrage Baudet vol complottheorieën: 'Hij wil twijfel zaaien over alles'" [Contribution Baudet filled with conspiracy theories: 'He wants to sow doubt about everything']. RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  44. "Rutte noemt speculatie FvD-Kamerlid om parlement te bezetten 'verwerpelijk'" [Rutte calls speculation FVD House member about occupying the parliament 'reprehensible']. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). 13 November 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  45. "Uitlatingen Kamerlid Van Meijeren leiden tot scherpe veroordelingen, OM kijkt ernaar" [Comments House member Van Meijeren lead to sharp criticism, Public Prosecution Service is looking into it]. NOS (in Dutch). 13 November 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  46. "OM vervolgt FVD'er Gideon van Meijeren voor opruiing" [Public Prosecution Service prosecutes FVD member Gideon Van Meijeren for incitement]. Trouw (in Dutch). 12 September 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  47. Rutten, Rik (28 November 2022). "Frictie in de top van FVD: heeft Baudet genoeg van de stijl van Van Meijeren?" [Friction within the FVD's highest ranks: Is Baudet fed up with Van Meijeren's style?]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  48. Van Meijeren, Gideon (12 March 2022). "Gideon van Meijeren (FVD) in Haagse Invloeden" (Interview) (in Dutch). Den Haag FM. Retrieved 7 April 2022 – via YouTube.
  49. Gideon: Op zoek naar de waarheid [Gideon: in search of the truth] (Motion picture) (in Dutch). Docsfair. Event occurs at 57:36. Retrieved 11 April 2022 – via blckbx.
  50. De Jonge, Lex; Nieuwenhuis, Marcia. "Forum-Kamerlid Gideon van Meijeren voor rechter wegens rijden zonder rijbevoegdheid, riskeert celstraf" [Forum House member Gideon van Meijeren to appear in court for driving without a valid driver's license, risks prison sentence]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  51. Den Hartog, Tobias (24 March 2023). "Taakstraf voor Gideon van Meijeren voor rijden zonder rijbewijs, al twee keer betrapt met drank achter stuur" [Community service for Gideon van Meijeren for driving without a license, already caught twice while driving under influence]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 April 2023.
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