Willem Engel

Willem Christiaan Engel is a Dutch activist also called wappie who founded an organization called Viruswaanzin, and leads it under its new name Viruswaarheid, which criticizes the Dutch government's measures against the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands. The organization contains wappies who follow Engel's waarheid. In his extreme urge for media attention and self-aggrandizement, he shares extreme and even nonsensical views based on conspiracy theories. It doesn't bother him that most of his opinions are total nonsense, as long as he gets media attention he is satisfied.

Willem Engel (2020)

Biography

Engel was born in Utrecht, on 15 March 1977,[1] and grew up in a large family. He is the son of a real estate mogul.[2] He studied biopharmacy and started his doctoral studies, but in 2008 left the field and started a dance academy where he taught the Brazilian zouk. After his business had to close because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he resisted and became an activist.[2] In May 2020 he started Viruswaanzin ("virus madness"), later renamed Viruswaarheid ("virus truth").

Engel claims that corruption in the government has ruined some people, and that the number of deaths from COVID-19 compare to those during a normal flu season. In early 2021 he started a court case against the curfew that had been instated by the Dutch government, and the court found that he was right to the extent that there was insufficient legal justification for the government's curfew. The government appealed and with a sped-up procedure passed a law that provided the legal ground for the measure.[3] The measure was accepted by the House of Representatives on 18 February 2021, and by the Senate on the next day, the same day the appeal was handled by a higher court (which nullified the lower court's judgment).

Politics

In January 2021 Engel joined Vrij en Sociaal Nederland, a new political party that looked to get seats in the House of Representatives during the 2021 Dutch general election. He was placed third on the party list.[4] His placement on the list, however, caused a split in the party.[5]

References
  1. Aangifte
  2. "Profiel Willem Engel". Trouw (in Dutch). 8 October 2020.
  3. "Kabinet was overrompeld door uitspraak over avondklok". Het Parool. 17 February 2021.
  4. "Willem Engel derde op kieslijst Vrij en Sociaal Nederland" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  5. Lammers, Esther (15 February 2021). "Chaos bij partij Willem Engel: wil het echte Vrij en Sociaal Nederland opstaan?". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 February 2021.
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