Report: The Fondlkerk fire was portrayed as a 'jihadist' attack within minutes
The fire at Vondelkerk, an abandoned church in Amsterdam on New Year's Eve, was falsely portrayed as a jihadist attack within minutes, according to a report by the extremist monitoring group Justice for Prosperity. The fire resulted in the destruction of the church's roof, and police and fire services are still investigating the cause.
Messages spread quickly on social media, linking the fire to 'Muslim terrorists' and 'the leftist elite'. A disinformation campaign rapidly spread on platforms like X, TikTok, and Telegram, reaching thousands of users within hours. About 20% of the posts directly linked the fire to Muslims.
Jill Boostma, the director of the organization and a former member of the Dutch intelligence service AIVD, said that far-right influencers like Eva Vlaardingerbroek and Tommy Robinson quickly amplified these false claims. He added: "Within an hour, speculation turned into confirmed statements, and then it became like a snowball that turned into an avalanche."
The story was also picked up by Kremlin-friendly media and Russian influencers, in a manner similar to previous incidents such as the Malieveld anti-immigration riots. Postma described the connection between jihadism and the leftist elite as "stunning," as the two are rarely linked in the Dutch narrative.
Experts have warned that misinformation is difficult to combat. Political communication professor Klaas de Vries suggested regulating algorithms and placing warning labels on unverified stories, but he acknowledged that there is no "magic solution." Postma emphasized that while freedom of expression is important, the unrestricted spread of false claims can undermine democracy, calling for a public discussion on the limits of free speech to protect democratic institutions.