The 1963 Dutch farmers' revolt () in

Hollandscheveld Hollandscheveld () is a village in the municipality of Hoogeveen, the Netherlands. It was founded in the 17th century after the Hollandsche Compagnie (''Company from Holland'') bought the land to harvest its peat. It was initially named Hollandsc ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, was a

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

led by Dutch farmer and politician

Hendrik Koekoek Hendrik Koekoek (22 May 1912 – 8 February 1987) was a Dutch farmer, politician, and founder of the defunct Farmers' Party (''Boerenpartij''; BP). Koekoek was the leader and party chair of the BP from 1958 until 1981. He served as the party ...

against the Landbouwschap over the

eviction Eviction is the removal of a Tenement (law), tenant from leasehold estate, rental property by the landlord. In some jurisdictions it may also involve the removal of persons from premises that were foreclosure, foreclosed by a mortgagee (often ...

of three farmer families. The rebellion was also referred to as the Revolt of the Braves (). In March 1963, three farmer families were evicted from their farms by order of the Landbouwschap because they had refused on principle to pay agricultural levies and because they lived on the farms illegally, as these were owned by the Landbouwschap. Thousands of so-called "Free Farmers" () from all over the Netherlands—followers of Koekoek—went to Hollandscheveld to try to prevent the eviction. The government set up a ''

force majeure In contract law, force majeure ( ; ) is a common clause in contracts which essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, such as a war, strike, riot, ...

'' of more than 200 helmeted and armed

police officers A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of ...

to keep the demonstrating farmers away from the places where the

debt collector Debt is an obligation that requires one party, the debtor, to pay money borrowed or otherwise withheld from another party, the creditor. Debt may be owed by a sovereign state or country, local government, company, or an individual. Commerc ...

did his work.

Riot A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...

s ensued. The police drove the people away from the farms with

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

and batons. One of the evacuated farms went up in flames overnight. The perpetrators of the

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

were never found. The Landbouwschap, which had never had any experience with evictions before, gave in after all the negative media attention and eventually came to a compensation arrangement with the Hollandscheveld farmer families. Due to the involvement of farmer Koekoek, the revolt led to widespread awareness of and support for his Farmers' Party, which won three seats in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

in the subsequent general election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutch farmers' revolt, 1963 1963 in the Netherlands 1963 protests History of agriculture in the Netherlands History of Drenthe Protests in the Netherlands

See also

References