Former Dutch Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus sent insulting private messages to senior officials during the COVID-19 pandemic, including wishing a mayor would contract the disease and calling another minister a "crybaby," according to a report by NU.
The messages were sent during the height of the pandemic, when the Dutch government was enforcing strict measures such as the evening curfew. NU reports that Grapperhaus used the app messages as a personal outlet for frustration, according to the Noordhollands Dagblad.
The report identifies two targets of Grapperhaus's remarks. He reportedly wished Hubert Bruls, the mayor of Nijmegen and chairman of the Security Council of the Netherlands, would contract COVID-19. He also referred to Arie Slob, then-minister for education, as a "jankerd," a Dutch term meaning a whiner or crybaby.
The revelations come as part of a broader examination of how Dutch officials communicated during the pandemic. In related coverage, former minister Kajsa Ollongren acknowledged that decisions to restrict fundamental rights were difficult, and said she felt like a "traitor" when facing public opposition to the curfew, according to De Telegraaf.
Grapperhaus has also been quoted as saying that mayors were "playing ministerial council" during the crisis, a remark that suggests tension between national and local authorities at the time.
The messages have not been published in full, and it remains unclear whether Grapperhaus has publicly responded to the specific allegations. The reports are based on internal communications that have now come to light.
What to watch next: whether the Dutch parliament will seek further clarification from Grapperhaus or other former officials about the tone of their pandemic-era communications.
