Amsterdam activist arrested for threats against Douwe Bob

Amsterdam police have arrested a 38‑year‑old man from Dutch capital in connection with death threats against singer Douwe Bob and his family.

Douwe Bob said on Tuesday that he had temporarily left the Netherlands after receiving death threats in the wake of a row over his performance at a Jewish children’s football tournament.

The singer pulled out of performing at the event, saying Zionist propaganda was being spread there, against the agreement made between his team and the organisers.

His decision led VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz to criticise him on social media, saying “Children are being denied a show because of what they are: Jewish. (…) This is how normalised hatred for Jews has become. Pure hate, in plain sight”.

That post and others like it, Douwe Bob said, had led to him receiving death threats. Several have since been reported to the police.

According to the AD, the man who has been arrested is “Bob T”, the leader of a conservative group known as Amsterdam Defence Force (ADF), which has been claiming responsibility for the threats.

The group, formed before the Covid‑19 crisis, says it aims to “protect Amsterdam culture” from expats and outsiders and uses the slogan “Amsterdam for Amsterdammers”.

The group is also said to have links to graffiti gangs and to Ajax football club hooligans. Members frequently use slogans such as “fuck the police” and actively support the return of Zwarte Piet and Israel’s bombardments in Gaza.

The AD said that in a private Instagram chat with Douwe Bob, Bob T warned “we’ll lock your city down,” accompanied by a photo of Abcoude, where the singer lives with his family. He also referenced the couple’s premature baby – describing it as a “dead child”.

Police have not confirmed the identity of the suspect,