Amsterdam, Netherlands. 8th of may: Joining a wave of tension and protest sweeping across the U.S. and Europe, pro-Palestinian activists and students face the Dutch riot police at Rokin, Amsterdam, on Wednesday afternoon, after their two day encampenment at the university was evicted violently.
Students are calling for an immediate cease-fire, an end to the genocide and the severing of all ties between their Universities and Israel.
As cities choose to break up the protests with forceful use of large police forces, students furiously rally in defence of their right to free speech and to demonstrate.






Riga, Latvia. In collaboration with journalist Arnout le Clercq. Published in de Volkskrant on 12-04-2024.
‘Latvia is rapidly saying goodbye to all things Russian. Strict requirements are imposed on the country's Russian minority: anyone who has a Russian passport but does not speak Latvian must leave the country. 'Us, dangerous? I am not a criminal.'’

Translated from the original Dutch article by Arnout le Clercq.

Hiiumaa, Estonia. In collaboration with journalist Arnout le Clercq. Published in de Volkskrant on 23-03-2024.
‘Two years after the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europe is grappling with the threat from the east. In the small Baltic states bordering the Russian giant, they have few illusions. On the Estonian island of Hiiumaa, the Kaitseliit volunteer corps is practising for armed combat.
There, the question is not whether Russia attacks, but when.
‘We are ready to fight for our freedom.’’

Translated from the original Dutch article by Arnout le Clercq.

Tartu and Tallinn, Estonia. In collaboration with journalist Arnout le Clercq. Published in de Volkskrant on 18-03-2024.
‘Why can Estonian students read so well? Book Week [NL] started on Saturday. But such a promotion of  books is hardly necessary in Estonia. There, the love of reading is instilled early on. What is Estonia's secret? ‘We are a small country, culture is our secret weapon’.’
Translated from the original Dutch article by Arnout le Clercq.

Den Haag, Netherlands. Israel in court, day 1: Pain, anger and frustrations fills the streets in front of the Peace Palace on January 11th.
While inside the South African delegation lays out why Israel is violating the 1948 Genocide Convention, and why the court should take ‘provisional measures’ as soon as possible to stop it, hundreds of demonstrators gather outside in two camps - pro-Palestine and pro-Israel. 
Published in the Volkskrant on 11/01/2024.





Amsterdam, Netherlands, november 9th: The Kristallnacht memorial in the Portuguese Synagogue is the most crowded in years. A lot of tension is in the air - and a lot of sadness. The current war and resurgent anti-Semitism is never far away. Security around the synagogue is on high alert - memorials in other cities have been cancelled. 'I told my son: don't come to the Netherlands.
Anti-Semitism has increased enormously here, we are back at the beginning.‘’
Published in the Volkskrant on 9/11/2023.






Upper Nitra, Slovakia. In collaboration with journalist Arnout le Clercq. Published in de Volkskrant on 28-12-2023.
‘Five times the bell rings. Then a rumbling sounds from the belly of the earth. The lift climbs up into the daylight, which falls faintly through the large windows of the industrial complex. With a dull bang, the steel container comes to a halt. Helmeted men step out; black smudges on their faces, a plastic bottle of water dangles from their coats, some still have their torches on. Their clothes are covered with a thin layer of jet-black dust. These are Slovakia's last miners.
Slovakia's last coal mine closed this month. The country is ahead of the rest of central Europe in the energy transition. The mining region is heading into the unknown.’
Translated from the original Dutch article by Arnout le Clercq.

24/11. The day after the elections.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Shocked and angry, anti-fascist subcultures call for protests against Wilders election triumph. Hundreds join on the Dam Square: ‘Not then, not now, never again fascism’.

23/11. Election day.
Amsterdam, Nethelrands
D66 (Democrats 66), a social-liberal and progressive political party, reacts shocked to the first exit polls of the Dutch National Elections: the PVV (Party for Freedom), a right-wing populist party of Geert Wilders, has won.

22/11. The day before elections.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
On the little city farm, de Werf, preparations for the elections are going. Left: Gita Bessem, board chair and tomorrow also polling station chair, get’s a red carpet from the barn.
Right: pig Tineke is testing the red carpet. Tomorrow, the voter will be king. “Democracy should be a party!”

Eastern Poland, along the Belarussian border. In collaboration with journalist Arnout le Clercq. Published in de Volkskrant on 12-10-2023.
‘For the Polish government, this weekend's elections are about one thing: fear. In the east of the country, this is has an unnerving effect. Some fear migrants, others fear Poland turning into a police state. The ecologist, the farmer, the activists and the general all have their own views.’
And those clash immensely.’ Translated from the original Dutch article by Arnout le Clercq.

Stockholm, Zweden. In collaboration with journalist Jeroen Visser. Published in de Volkskrant on 29-09-2023.
‘In the past five years, relatively many women have been awarded Nobel prizes. Yet chances are that next week's ceremonies will again be a mostly male party. The Nobel Prize committees are really working on diversity. But who decides whether it is enough?’ Translated from the original Dutch article by Jeroen Visser.

Bratislava, Slovakia. In collaboration with journalist Arnout le Clercq. Published in de Volkskrant on 29-09-2023.
‘With this weekend's elections, Slovakia is at a crossroads. The country can remain an ally of Ukraine and the EU or take a pro-Russian course under former prime minister Robert Fico. An avalanche of disinformation is fuelling polarisation, but some Slovaks are resisting it.’ Translated from the original Dutch article by Arnout le Clercq.

The Hague, Netherlands. First week of the permanent A12 blockade by Extinction Rebellion. Since Saturday 9th september, climate activists of all ages and professions have been blocking the highway in The Hague, demanding an immediate end to all Dutch fossile subsidies. Until then, they will continue blocking the highway every day at noon.

Published in de Volkskrant on 13-09-2023 / 15-09-2023 / 16-09-2023 / 21-09-2023.

Haarlem, Netherlands. The "Schuur" - a cinema in Haarlem - celebrates the premiere of Barbie with a special evening where everything is pink: the guests, the drinks and the candyfloss. Published in de Volkskrant (online) on 23-07-2023.

Texel, Netherlands. In collaboration with Journalist Rob van Scheers. Published in de Volkskrant on 10-06-2023.
‘'On the Wadden you realise that nature is eternal, but not you.' Mathijs Deen never thought of himself as a thriller writer, but with the publication of 'De duiker', his second book about Liewe Cupido, a detective on the Wadden, things are starting to look like that. How does the author go about his work?’ Translated from the original Dutch article by Rob van Scheers.

Gironde, France. In collaboration with Journalist Eline Huisman. Published in de Volkskrant on 11-07-2023.
‘'A record number of acres of forest went up in flames last summer in France. The Gironde, an area in the south-west that had just long been spared forest fires, was hit mercilessly. How is the region preparing for a new season?’ Translated from the original Dutch article by Eline Huisman.

Utrecht, Netherlands. Scenes from Utrecht Pride on Saturday, 3rd of June 2023. On assignment for the Volkskrant. 

Fos-sur-Mer, France. In collaboration with Journalist Eline Huisman. Published in de Volkskrant on 23-03-2023.
‘The controversial pension reform has been implemented, but protests in France are far from quieting down. For a week now, roads have been blocked, refineries shut down and spontaneous demonstrations held across the country as tensions rise and hundreds of arrests have been made. A new nationwide day of action will follow on Thursday.’ Translated from the original Dutch article by Eline Huisman.

Breil-sur-Roya, France. In collaboration with Journalist Eline Huisman. Published in de Volkskrant on 30-05-2023.
‘While France and Italy are fighting a diplomatic crisis over migration policy, French olive farmer Cédric Herrou is looking for goat trails in the border region to give undocumented migrants perspective. He smuggled hundreds past police checks. Now he helps undocumented migrants find a new life.’ Translated from the original Dutch article by Eline Huisman.

Velp, Netherlands. Published in de Volkskrant on 23-05-2023.
‘May and June were extremely dry months. By putting fungi in the soil, agricultural plants may be able to weather such periods better.’ Translated from the original Dutch article by Dieuke Kingma.

Amsterdam, Netherlands. Published in de Volkskrant on 11-04-2023.
‘'An Amsterdam mansion on the Vondelpark was squatted in late October. The owner, an oligarch from Russia who is on the European sanctions list, wants it back. The court earlier ruled in favour of the squatters. On Wednesday, his higher appeal is due to be heard.' Translated from the original Dutch article by Irene de Zwaan.

Amsterdam, Netherlands. Published in de Volkskrant on 05-03-2023.
‘'The Feminist March 2023, formerly the Women's March, did not only focus on women's rights. It also dealt with racism, homophobia and other types of discrimination. Not everyone is happy with this expansion: 'It leads to dilution, while there is still so much to do.' Translated from the original Dutch article by Loes Reijmer.