The Dutch flag, long seen as a unifying national symbol, has become the focus of growing tension after being adopted by the far right and other protesters campaigning against immigration.

Dutch flags, and the old orange-white-blue Prinsenvlag, tainted by its use by the wartime NSB movement, were present at last weekend’s anti-immigration rally in Amsterdam, carried by extremists who were yelling racist and antisemitic slogans. And they are an increasingly common sight at protests about asylum seekers centres and at football matches.

Davied van Berlo, chairman of the Dutch Association for Vexillology (the study of flags), told the AD that the flag’s use as a political tool was not new but had intensified.

“Some groups are claiming the flag for themselves, saying: ‘This flag is ours, we are the real Dutch’,” he said. “That creates a smaller, more exclusive ‘we’. But the national flag is for everyone — it’s a symbol that represents the whole country.”

Legally, private citizens are largely free to display the flag as they wish, he said. A 2023 court ruling confirmed that hanging an upside-down flag – a gesture popular during the farmers’ protests – counts as protected political expression under the Dutch constitution.

“People can use the flag to express their opinion,” he said. “What’s not allowed is attaching it to property that isn’t yours.”

Researchers say the flag’s meaning depends entirely on context. “A flag itself is empty — people give it meaning,” Irene Stengs of the Meertens Institute, which documents Dutch language and culture, told the Telegraaf. “The strong feelings it provokes show that bringing a flag into a protest is never a neutral act.”

Politicians have also stepped into the debate. D66 leader Rob Jetten said he deliberately placed a large Dutch flag on stage during his party’s recent congress. “For me it stands for freedom and unity,” he said. “But some people now feel uneasy because the flag has been claimed by the right and the far right. I wanted to reclaim it.”

Flag sellers, meanwhile, say the controversy has boosted business. The Vlaggen Unie in Drachten reports a 25% rise in sales of the red-white-blue flag in recent months — and even the Prinsenvlag has seen renewed demand.

In Uithoorn, near Amsterdam, the council ordered the removal of Dutch flags that had been hung from lampposts and bridges. Officials said the displays, linked to protests against two planned asylum centres, breached local safety rules.

“By taking the flags down, the municipality may actually be creating a level playing field,” Van Berlo said. “When everyone flies the Dutch flag, it loses any extremist connotation. The flag belongs to us all.”