Overview
- A new local coalition of Christelijk Verbond Oldebroek (CVO), SGP and Algemeen Belang Oldebroek (ABO) included a ban on raising the rainbow flag at the town hall in its late‑June coalition agreement and has reaffirmed that position.
- The decision prompted a large, orderly protest that filled the square at the Oldebroek town hall on Thursday and drew an estimated 600 people who said the issue goes beyond the flag as a symbol.
- Coalition leader and incoming alderman Tom de Nooijer argued the rainbow flag is polarising and said the municipality should show equal support to all residents under the national and local flags.
- Opposition councillors, local activists and groups warned the ban undoes a five‑year municipal plan to boost LGBT+ safety and acceptance and said it signals a withdrawal of official protection for vulnerable residents.
- The dispute intersects with other local tensions such as asylum policy and protests over wolf attacks, and it could deepen political polarization in Oldebroek while observers watch for further council decisions or policy rollbacks.