Trend watcher René Boender, invited by Noord-Holland province to give a keynote speech on social themes, has pulled out because he does not want to get caught in a ‘political wasps’ nest’.

Boender’s nomination to give the annual Willem Arondéus lecture had been criticised by the populist PVV. The Willem Arondéus lecture, named after the artist and World War II resistance fighter, deals with ‘controversial but relevant themes’ for Noord-Holland province.
‘The climate guru asks around €6,500 for a 30-minute speech. Completely over the top, pocket-filler,’ councillor and MP Hero Brinkman said using the microblogging service Twitter.
There is no indication this is what Boender would have been paid.
Last year
This is the second year in a row PVV protests have disrupted planning for the lecture.
Last year’s speech by cultural historian Thomas Von der Dunk was also cancelled after criticism from the PVV.
‘The PVV clearly is not in favour of free speech,’ Cees Loggen, head of the Liberal VVD in the province told the Volkskrant. ‘PVV supports complain they don’t get respect but show little respect for others.’
Sabotage
Jeffrey Leever, head of the lecture organising committee told the paper Brinkman set out to deliberately sabotage the event.
‘I asked him yesterday what he was up to and he answered ‘I just don’t want this lecture to go ahead. I don’t care who else is a candidate. The lecture has to go’,’ Leever told the paper.