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.

This article was published by the Faculty of Law.