Protest and public order. A critical discourse analysis of the Dutch political rearticulation of the right to protest

Central to this thesis is the rearticulation of the right to protest within Dutch political discourse. In recent years, pressing social, economic, and environmental crises have prompted people to exercise this right with increasing frequency and assertiveness. Growing calls for law enforcement against such disruptive protests stand in tension with the Dutch government’s claim to uphold democratic principles. This study investigates how Dutch national politicians justify legislative proposals that seek to restrict the right to protest. Critical discourse analysis of governmental communications reveals that justifications rest on profoundly neoliberal conceptions of public order. By conflating criminal law and human rights, both advocates and opponent of legislative restrictions acknowledge the necessity of combating disorder.