Police remove benefits scandal from document about conspiracy theories after criticism by Pieter Omtzigt

The police are modifying an internal document after criticism on social media from Pieter Omtzigt, among others. This is an “internal guide” on conspiracy thinking, which mentions the benefits scandal as the theme. Omtzigt shared the content of the document on X.

Political editorial office 19-08-25, 23:26

The guide is intended for police officers who face “radicalization and extremism that may arise from conspiracy theories” in their work, according to the police.

The document is not a work instruction, the police emphasize, but a “tool for having conversations”. The document mentions Covid-19 and the benefits scandal, among other things, because, according to the police, there is disinformation or conspiracy stories about them.

Omtzigt tweeted that the benefits scandal does not belong in this list. “It was and is a bitter reality for many people,” he wrote. The police say that including the subject does not mean that the police themselves dismiss the scandal as a conspiracy. “We are not questioning the suffering of the victims.”

“Confusing”

However, the police acknowledge that things “without the right context” can be confusing. That is why the police are going to amend the document. A spokeswoman does not yet know what will be changed.

On Tuesday evening, Omtzigt shared a letter that he would have sent to police chief Janny Knol. He writes that the police approach can lead to people affected by government actions being immediately dismissed as conspiracy theorists “and that any errors in government actions will again not be seen”.

Omtzigt said goodbye to politics in The Hague this spring. As a member of parliament, he was closely involved in exposing the benefits scandal.

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