Image: haaijk, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
After making a subject access request to the police, van der Linde learnt that the counter-terrorism department and the municipality of Amsterdam were storing information about him, such as his social media posts and attendance at demonstrations.
The police also sent data on him to other national police forces and the EU policing agency, Europol, warning of his “risk” to public order – but van der Linde’s biggest crime is breaking a window to squat an empty apartment to create a home for homeless people.
Due to the unwillingness of the police to share all the data they hold about him, the case will seek access to the police database by an independent external institution with the aim of obtaining access to the complete file.
““It’s exhausting to go back and forward to different government agencies to find out what data is stored about me,” said Frank van der Linde. “What do they wanna hide? On paper, government agencies should be transparent, but in reality, it’s almost impossible to find out what data is stored.”
The hearing will take place at the Court of Amsterdam on 30 March 2023 from 9:00 until 12:30. There will be a real-time interpreter for non-Dutch speaking attendees.
Strategic litigation
Court of Amsterdam, 30 March 2023
Parnassusweg 280, 1076 AV Amsterdam, Netherlands
From 9h00 till 12h30, three seating judges
For further information contact:
- Romain Lanneau: romain[at]statewatch.org
- Frank van der Linde: frank[at]frankvanderlinde.net
