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Ongehoord Nederland (ON!), Arlette Adriani, Joost Niemöller and Raisa Blommestijn #wingnut #conspiracy #racist nltimes.nl

MPs from PRO, CDA and D66 are calling for broadcaster Ongehoord Nederland (ON!) to be expelled from the Dutch public broadcasting system following comments made during one of its discussion programs suggesting Adolf Hitler had been right on some issues. The online show Let’s Twist Again examined one of Hitler’s speeches and debated whether his opposition to globalism had been justified

The clip shows Hitler speaking out against what he calls a “rootless international clique,” after which someone in the audience shouts “Jews!” Presenter Arlette Adriani then asks editor-in-chief Joost Niemöller and presenter Raisa Blommestijn whether they agree that “the cosmopolitan elite is inherently hostile to ordinary, rooted people.” Both panelists say they agree

MPs Mohammed Mohandis of PRO, Harmen Krul of the CDA and Ouafa Oualhadjo for D66 accused ON! of downplaying Hitler’s actions in the clip and said such content has no place in the public broadcasting system. They have asked Education, Culture and Science Minister Rianne Letschert to address the issue in parliamentary questions[…]
Letschert is considering what should happen to ON![…]She is expected to inform parliament of her decision before the media debate at the end of September. Although the Dutch Public Broadcasting system has not asked the minister to intervene, she has other options available, including taking action through the Dutch Media Authority

Ongehoord Nederland acknowledges that the Hitler segment did not sufficiently take into account the sensitivities surrounding the subject, general director Peter Vlemmix said

According to Vlemmix, Blommestijn and Niemöller clearly condemned the atrocities committed under Hitler. He said the two also expressed their disgust with the Nazi regime and its “barbaric consequences.” Vlemmix added that neither suggested that Hitler’s actions should be excused or glorified

Vlemmix nevertheless acknowledged that ON! should have handled the subject more carefully

Trees P. #fundie #psycho #homophobia nltimes.nl

The municipality of Tubbergen has launched an official investigation into a controversial religious sect that has operated in the region for decades, according to NOS. The group, known as the Pater Pio Stichting, is led by 85-year-old self-proclaimed faith healer and exorcist Trees P., who was previously convicted for physically injuring a follower during an exorcism in the 1990s

The new investigation, ordered by Mayor Anko Postma, follows mounting allegations of child abuse, corporal punishment, psychological manipulation, child labor, and attempts at so-called "gay conversion" practices within the group[…]
National politicians are also calling for action. Tweede Kamer members Michiel van Nispen (SP) and Ingrid Michon (VVD) have submitted formal questions in response to recent reports[…]
The reports that prompted political and public outcry include testimony of a disturbing exorcism ritual in which two young sisters, aged 6 and 8, were forced to participate. During the ceremony, sect leader Trees P. reportedly screamed and commanded the girls to pray and sing while a 14-year-old girl—naked under a running shower—was allegedly undergoing an exorcism because she was believed to be possessed by the devil

Several former child members have since spoken out as adults, describing ongoing trauma from their time in the sect. Among them is Evelien Vaags, the daughter of the woman who had her ears cut during an exorcism led by Trees P. in the 1990s. That incident resulted in a three-month prison sentence for Trees

"My mother always kept her hair over her ears so it wouldn’t be visible," Vaags told Dutch news program Nieuwsuur. "As a little girl I once asked, ‘Mom, what’s wrong with your ears?’ But she never talked about it. That’s how traumatic it was"

Vaags joined the sect at the age of 6, during a time when her mother was mentally ill and her father turned to Trees P. for help. "Soon after, our entire family was under the sect’s control"