Farmers' Revolt
The Farmers' Revolt (Dutch: Boeren opstand) is a series of anti-government actions that were undertaken by the Boeren Verdediging Organisatie (BVO). These actions were in many cases characterized by the blockading of roads, violence against the police, occupations of towns and infrastructure, and in some cases attacks against military installations. These uprisings, and acts of rebellion principally took part in the eastern provinces of the Netherlands, most notably in the provinces of Overijsel, Groningen, and Gelderland. The uprising was triggered when a radical group of former livestock farmers. Those who were forced to sell their land to make place for new towns in light of the ongoing refugee crisis at the time seized the Sinterklaas journal on their live broadcast of Pakjesavond and held the studio hostage. It was this hostage-taking that was quickly dealt with by an anti-terrorism unit of the police. It resulted tho in the live broadcast, due to all parties forgetting to turn it off, the police in many instances gunning now those hostage takers who had not harmed anyone, even when they surrendered. It was this accident that set of the rapid escelation across the Netherlands, but most severely in the eastern provinces.
Background
The East Indies Crisis and the influx of refugees
The East Indies Crisis, which began in the early 1960s, led to a significant influx of refugees into the Netherlands fleeing from Soenda. These refugees were accommodated primarily in the Randstad region. However, by the 1970s, it became increasingly clear that the area's infrastructure was nearing its maximum capacity, needing a new strategic approach by the Dutch government.
Upon assuming office as Prime Minister in 1974, Koen Haverman proposed the expansion of urban infrastructure into the Eastern Netherlands, which was predominantly agricultural. He saw the strategy not only as a short-term response to the refugee crisis, but also a long-term plan to revitalize regions that had suffered developmental stagnation since the Great War. The plan, he claimed, would "level the economic playing field across the eastern provinces."
Although generally popular, this proposal was met with significant resistance and concern from the local farming communities. The farmers perceived the government's plan as a direct threat to their livelihoods and traditional way of life.
The Development Plan of 1975
The Development Plan of 1975 (Dutch: Het ontwikkelings plan van 1975) was approved and launched in 1975, aiming to alleviate the population pressures in the Randstad, effectively manage the resettlement of over a million refugees, and rebalance socio-economic disparity between the western and eastern regions of the Netherlands.
This extensive plan included a wide range of projects: from housing developments and infrastructure upgrades, to the decentralization of government offices, creation of new job opportunities in the east, land acquisitions, and investment in educational institutions.
Eminent domain and land disputes
A controversial aspect of the development plan was the acquisition of land in the eastern provinces. Throughout 1975-1977, the Dutch government exercised eminent domain to seize land for development, with the provision of compensating the landowners and farmers at a price determined by independent assessments.
However, this process became a source of contention, primarily due to a perceived discrepancy between the actual value of the land and the compensation offered by the government. Farmers felt that the compensation they received did not reflect the true value of their land, nor did it account for potential future earnings, especially after tariff reductions with Zeylan decreased agricultural commodity prices.
Farmers and landowners began to demand fairer compensation, but the government was slow to respond to these calls. This led to the belief that the government was deliberately shortchanging the farmers on compensation, leading to further frustration and anger.
The revolt
Week of Barricades (August 1979)
Week van de barricades is the name given to the revolt her most violent week, it is thus sometimes referred to as the moord op de Achterhoek. It was during the week, that after various attempts at consolidation, yet no success, the farmers turned from civil disobedience towards full insurrection. Farmers started to barricade the major roads and highways and occupy the train stations and other key infrastructure sites, paralyzing transportation in the eastern Netherlands. Initially, this action was planned to last 3 days but was in the last hours extended to last until the farmers demands were met.
It was here that another escalation took place when a group of farmers with their heavy equipment stormed several government buildings. This was carried out by radicals within the farmer protest movement, yet it still had an impact. It was after this action that the government authorized the use of lethal force to disperse the farmers from the government buildings and the places they occupied. It was this that eventually forced the farmers to end their protests and occupations.
Wednesday (8th of August)
On the 8th of August 1979, a group of radicalized farmers, tired by the lack of concession by the government, in combination with recent government actions. Stormed the police station in ‘S-Heerenberg, the police station was lightly guarded even when the tensions were high, nobody had expected such brazen actions to be taken. It was this that allowed the rebelling farmers to catch the officers off-guard, it resulted in the capture of the station and the looting of its munition storage. It was this that had the effect that the rebels intended, they quickly spread the weapons around their town resulting in the farmers becoming surprisingly well-armed. It was thus that the farmers took the small city of ‘s-Heerenberg, it was thus that it would become the center of the week.
News of what happened in ‘S-Heerenberg quickly reached the office of Prime Minister Koen Haverman. Here understanding the severity and the tone that it would set if he led this slide, Haverman under a wartime decree from the great war created an emergency cabinet. It was this that allowed him, to make quite controversial decisions by avoiding parliament. The cabinet in turn consisted of his minister of defense and several generals and admirals. Here the most controversial decision was made of this troublesome period. The military was set to be deployed, a military that even after its scale down and demobilization was still considered a massive and ruthless fighting force. A force that had experienced a brutal war and whose entire culture consisted of it being ruthlessly efficient. It was here that he decided to set an example and deploy the Krijgsmacht
Friday (10th of August)
Domestic deployments of the Krijgsmacht were not uncommon. It was quite normal, due to the Netherlands wartime experience, the military had become a regular part of life. Especially when floods occurred, or high storms the military was often used for flood relief operations, especially in the 1953 floods. It was thus when Kapitein-Generaal Klaas Donkervoort, who was the chief of the joint general staff of the Krijgsmacht, a veteran of the East Indies Crisis, had seen combat and commanded numerous units and a man who in Soenda was accused of crimes against the Soenda people, was given permission to deploy units, he deployed the 5th Ossen Jager Brigade stationed in Arnhem and the 18th Pantser brigade to deal with the insurrection, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was tho that all of the units from their NCO’s upper echelons and even soldiers themselves were EIC veterans. It was thus a force that had the spotlight on them but was given the rules of engagement that were similar to how they would have dealt with a similar situation in the East Indies.
Ontleg van ‘s-Heerenberg (11th - 12th of August)
Deployment of the brigades happened rapidly, soldiers were called up from their weekend leave, and as the units were armored formations, intended for deployment in the German region, due to the Russian threat, to be deployed just around the corner proved simple. The brigades in total numbered some 5,000 soldiers and set up as they intended. By 15:00 hours local time on the 11th of August, the town was surrounded and a marshal law zone was set up of roughly 30 km all around the town.
It was thus that a battalion of 5th Brigade moved towards the town and it was here that it begun, homemade explsovie devices being thrown. I
