Dutch activists sue the king and ask for his powers to be reduced
Dutch activists have brought the country’s king to court in an attempt to prove that his role in the legal system contravenes Europe’s human rights conventions.
Republiek, an anti-monarchist group, is arguing that the Dutch state should remove any provisions that allow the monarch to partake in the legal system, including appointing judges and approving legal decisions.
In a hearing on Wednesday, Republiek’s legal representative Ewout Jansen presented the case in front of the Hague District Court.
King Willem-Alexander exercised his right not to appear in person, having his personal lawyer Reimer Veldhuis represent him instead — another privilege the activist group believes gives him an unfair advantage.
Veldhuis is also the country’s attorney general.
Instead of attending the hearing, King Willem-Alexander opted to swear in two new judges to the Dutch Supreme Court, mere kilometres away at his Noordeinde Palace in The Hague centre.
The king’s portrait was, however, prominently displayed in the courtroom — another custom Republiek would like to see abolished.
As Jansen explained to Euronews, his clients have put together a list of 18 procedural issues that they believe are not merely symbolic, as the country’s government claims.
According to him, Willem-Alexander’s delayed response in signing off on emergency measures during the COVID-19 pandemic is indicative of how the monarch’s role is far from just figurative.
Two anonymous sources close to the king tipped off the group that the king stalled in making the decision, which put pressure on the government and the health services in the country as cases soared.
“He asked for a couple of weeks’ time to consider it. And this was very stressful to the government because of the urgency
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