Netherlands: Mass police surveillance of protests part of 'growing control culture' - new report

“All facial recognition technology for identification purposes should be banned and clear rules for police surveillance at protests must be established.” - Dagmar Oudshoorn

Fear amongst protestors that camera surveillance may lead to negative repercussions

Transparency needed from Dutch police about use of materials gathered at protests

A new report from Amnesty International has found that widespread use of digital surveillance technology by police combined with a lack of transparency about its deployment and how materials gathered are analysed, stored and used is having a discriminatory and chilling effect on protest in the Netherlands.

Recording dissent: Camera surveillance at peaceful protests in the Netherlands, finds that Dutch police are using an array of digital means to monitor peaceful protesters, from drones to video cars and bodycams to conduct mass surveillance of protesters which is detrimentally impacting the right to protest.  

The report collates the experiences of protesters from a wide range of movements, including climate protests, pro-Palestine protests and protests relating to COVID. The research involved observation of 24 protests between 2022 and 2024, several interviews with protesters and police as well as an analysis of protest rules and practice. Across the range of demonstrations, protesters expressed fears that their identities could be logged in police databases and that this could have negative repercussions for them. 

One organiser of COVID protests told Amnesty: “I would like to work at a ministry one day. If I have a mark against my name somewhere, I might never get in, so I want to avoid that. Those fears are really deep with everyone in our group.”  

Dagmar Oudshoorn, Director of Amnesty International Netherlands, said:

“Peaceful protest is a right, not a privilege but in the Netherlands an increasing risk-based approach to protest by authorities and a growing control culture is putting this right a risk.

“Dutch laws and policies are not formulated with sufficient precision with regard to what police may or may not do when surveilling protests. This creates a risk of arbitrariness or abuse and is having a discriminatory and chilling effect.

“It is unacceptable that images are stored in police data banks without any clarity as to what is done with them. This can lead to abuse – or fear of abuse - which can really have far-reaching consequences for people's personal lives.

“Camera surveillance is being deployed because protests are being perceived as a security risk rather than a fundamental right and a vital part of a healthy society. All facial recognition technology for identification purposes should be banned and clear rules for police surveillance at protests must be established.”  

The new research shows that police routinely fail to explain to organisers, protesters and the public why camera surveillance is in place. Opaque practices make it unclear what resources are being deployed and what images of protesters are being used for. Without adequate safeguards in place, surveillance practices are open to widespread abuse.  Police are able to use facial recognition technology to identify people. This risk is especially serious for migrants, who could be included in a facial recognition database when they apply for a residence permit.

  

One climate activist told Amnesty: “It’s unpredictable. I’ve seen camera surveillance in all forms…Police in uniform photographing, and camera cars with a telescopic camera on the roof…Not once have the police informed us about the surveillance.” 

Protest rights under threat across continent.

This report is part of Amnesty 's global “Protect the Protest” campaign which challenges attacks on peaceful protest, works in solidarity with those targeted and supports the causes of social movements pushing for human rights change.  

A report published in July 2024 looking at the state of protest across Europe found that the right to protest is being systematically undermined across Europe. See https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/07/europe-sweeping-pattern-of-systematic-attacks-and-restrictions-undermine-peaceful-protest/