The Dutch parliament’s chairperson demanded that Twitter stop threatening legislators on Wednesday.
Vera Bergkamp published a letter to the U.S. company’s Global Affairs department expressing “deep concern” over recent tweets threatening parliamentarians with death “and calls for violence and even murder.”
“These are probably punishable under Dutch criminal law,” she tweeted.
Geert Wilders, head of the Netherlands’ anti-Islam Freedom Party, has received Twitter death threats for over a decade. In October 2022, billionaire Elon Musk bought Twitter and eliminated content moderation workers in favor of automated technologies.
Musk, a “free speech absolutist,” bought Twitter to combat hate and divisiveness. “I understand Twitter works hard to minimize toxic and illegal content,”
Bergkamp wrote. “Despite that, I urge you to take immediate action to address this issue… in order to protect our freedom of expression.”
Twitter’s press email and Global Affairs account didn’t respond to comments. Sigrid Kaag, the center-left D-66 Party’s Finance Minister, has also received online and offline threats. Last week, Kaag hinted at abandoning politics, prompting a nationwide debate.
