Dutch Ambassador Talks at AUK

His Excellency the Ambassador of The Netherlands Nicholaas Beets addressed an assembly of AUK students and faculty in a lecture held last week at AUK about freedom of expression in the Netherlands. The event was organized by the International Relations Department.

In his speech, Ambassador Nicolaas Beets spoke about the origins of Dutch freedoms and the limits of freedom of speech. As a staunch defender and advocate of free speech, the Netherlands has a long tradition of supporting political and religious freedom that dates back to the 18th century.

Over the last decade, however, public upheaval erupted in the Netherlands in response to the assassination of Dutch filmmaker Theodoor Van Gogh for his contentious film about Islamic culture, in 2004. The filmmaker had also sparked reaction in the Muslim world which prompted calls for government repression of Islam in The Netherlands. The incident posed a challenge and a limit to the freedom of expression in The Netherlands.

The centerpiece of the lecture placed emphasis on a call for tolerance and stressed the importance of freedom of expression. To conclude the talk, HE the Ambassador cited the 18th century French philosopher, Voltaire, who said, "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."

Ambassador Beets entered the Netherlands Foreign Service in 1979 and has worked as a junior diplomat at the Netherlands Embassies in Paramaribo, Jakarta, Khartoum, and at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague. Between 2004 and 2008, he served as Netherlands' Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Last year, he was appointed as the Netherlands' Ambassador to the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom of Bahrain. Ambassador Beets is currently living in Kuwait.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 14th February 2013