Some of the tens of thousands of people in the Netherlands, who believe in the concept of an “evil elite” and refuse to recognise the state or the rule of law, are prepared to use violence, the Dutch counter terrorism unit NCTV warned on Tuesday.

The warning comes in a new analysis of the phenomenon by the NCTV, police and homeland security service AIVD.

The analysis says that arms have been found in the homes of some people who consider themselves to be “autonomous”, and they have also used violence in reaction to police checks, arrests and evictions.

“There has been a rise in intimidation and threats against local politicians, officials, judges, journalists and academics, among others,” the NCTV said. “There have also been some minor violent confrontations with police and bailiffs.”

Sovereign citizens, as they are known in the Netherlands, believe the state has no legitimate power of them and that it is up to them whether or not to obey the rules. Some refuse to pay tax, health insurance and fines and in extreme cases rent or mortgage payments.

The growth in the movement may be partly down to the government’s coronavirus restricts which fueled fears of an “evil elite” that wants to enslave its people during the pandemic, the analysis states.

Other issues, such as the childcare benefit scandal, the nitrogen crisis, housing shortage and soaring energy prices have helped fuel a feeling of “not being heard”, the report’s authors say.

Although most people who subscribe to such theories are peaceful and show their opposition to the regime by opting out as much as possible, a smaller group go much further and reject all laws, the report says. They have also given rise to an industry of advisors and others who profess to help people go off grid. Some make up their own “legal documents”.

A still smaller group of tens to up to a couple of hundred people go even further and believe violent confrontation with the government is unavoidable. They spread names and addresses of the “elite” to other supporters and call for citizens arrests and tribunals to get justice, the report says.

Supreme court

Last December the Dutch supreme court called for action to find out why an increasing number of people in the Netherlands identify as “sovereign citizens”.

Supreme court president Dineke de Groot told Trouw the court receives thousands of letters from people who think they can cut themselves off ordinary society by refusing to pay tax, health insurance or rent, for example. It is highly unusual for the supreme court, which only pronounces on court cases, to comment on social issues.

“We have to try to understand what is motivating these people. {..} They are being given false information and told they don’t have to pay any bills. But it ends with the bailiff,” De Groot told the paper.