Netherlands: 83% of citizens oppose slavery reparations

An RTL Netherlands poll indicates that 83 percent of Dutch citizens oppose paying reparations for the country’s history of slavery and colonialism. This finding follows an announcement by Prime Minister Rob Jetten that the government does not plan to provide compensation following a study into the role of the Dutch royal house in colonization.

The study, commissioned by King Willem-Alexander, concluded that the House of Orange-Nassau gained approximately 576 million euros from the slave trade and colonial systems, primarily in the former Dutch East Indies. While the King described the findings as remarkable, public opposition to financial redress remains high.

Opposition is most pronounced among supporters of right-wing parties, with 99 percent of voters for the PVV, VVD, JA21, BBB, and FvD opposing reparations. Resistance also exists among centrist and left-leaning voters, with 71 percent of D66 supporters and 50 percent of GroenLinks and PvdA supporters against the payments. Only 8 percent of total respondents support the idea of reparations.