New podcast episode ‘Recht op Nieuws’: Sovereigns - To hell with the government

What drives thousands of Dutch citizens to turn their backs on the government and the law? In the latest episode of the Recht op Nieuws (Right to News) podcast, emeritus professor Jan Brouwer and researcher Luuk de Boer delve into the phenomenon of ‘sovereigns’: individuals who seek to withdraw as much as possible from government regulations, and who sometimes don’t shy away from using violence.
Where movements like the Provo’s and squatters once sought to reform the system through open protest and civil disobedience, these so-called sovereigns take a different, less visible path: they use the law to dismantle the law. A fundamentally different approach that puts pressure on the rule of law from within.
Where does this ideology originate? Why is this movement growing now? And how dangerous is it to a democratic constitutional state? In Recht op Nieuws, the podcast from the Faculty of Law, emeritus professor of Law and Society Jan Brouwer investigates this fascinating movement.
Recht op Nieuws
Recht op Nieuws offers an in-depth analysis of a current legal issue every month. Jan Brouwer discusses with experts from the Faculty how legislation and jurisprudence affect our daily lives. You can now listen to the episode about sovereigns on Spotify and iTunes (and via our podcast page). Questions or suggestions? Email us at: rechtopnieuws rug.nl.

Last modified: | 22 May 2025 3.37 p.m. |
More news
-
16 June 2025
AIWitness Project nominated for Computable Awards 2025
The AIWitness project has been nominated for the Computable Awards 2025 in the ‘Partner Project’ category. Laura Peters, Associate Professor at our faculty, is the initiator from the University of Groningen for this innovative collaboration between...
-
15 June 2025
Adriaan Wierenga, LL.M., appointed member of TOOI Advisory Committee and disciplinary judge for KNVB
Adriaan Wierenga (LL.M.), emergency law specialist and researcher at our faculty, has been appointed for a four-year term to the Advisory Committee for the Public Order Intelligence Team (TOOI) of the East Netherlands police unit by institutional...
-
12 June 2025
AI and law in dialogue: New pathways for interdisciplinary research
On Wednesday 5 June, the workshop ‘Making Connections: AI x LAW’ took place at the House of Connections, organized b yPepijn Tukker and Tim van Zuijlen (FRG) and Zoé Christoff (FSE). During the afternoon, researchers from the Faculty of Law and the...