Roel van Duijn
Encyclopedia
Roeland Gerrit Hugo van Duijn (The Hague
, 20 January 1943) is a Dutch politician
, political activist and writer. He was a founder of Provo and the Kabouterbeweging. He was alderman for the Political Party of Radicals and currently is ward
councillor for the GreenLeft
.
family in the Hague
. He attended a Montessori Grammar School. Subsequently, he attended the Montessori Lyceum where he attended the Gymnasium
, specializing in letters and graduated in 1963. In the Hague he had been active in the peace movement
, organizing sitdown demonstrations against the nuclear bomb. He had also been editor for De Vrije Socialist, an anarchist magazine.
After graduation he moved to Amsterdam
to study political science
and history
, he later turned to law
. In 1965 he was one of the founders of the anarchist counter-culture Provo movement. In 1969 he was elected into the Amsterdam municipal council for the movement. In 1969 he founded the Green
counter-culture Kaboutermovement and was involved in the Orange Free State. On April 17, 1970 he was shortly abducted by rightwing radical Joop Baank, but he did not inform the police authorities afterwards.
In 1973 he became a member of the progressive political party Political Party of Radicals (PPR). In 1974 he became Amsterdam alderman for the party. He refused an official car, but instead took an official bike. On February 15, 1975 a bomb was placed in the subway station Vensterpolder which was under construction by a group of rightwing radicals including Baank. The authorities assumed leftwing squat
ters to have placed the bomb and Van Duijn was the only member of the local government who refused to sign a statement blaming them. His period as alderman ended prematurely in January 1976. During his period as alderman he took several initiatives, for the use of sustainable energy, a municipal cable network and the municipal television channel (SALTO).
In 1977 he became an organic farmer and started a cheese farm in Veele (municipality of Vlagtwedde
) and had two sons. In 1981 he returned to Amsterdam and in 1983 he sold the farm.
In 1984 he was candidate for the European Parliament
for the Green Progressive Accord, a combined list of Political Party of Radicals (PPR), Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN) and the Pacifist Socialist Party (PSP)
. He did not get a seat but joined the parliamentary party as a policy advisor.
He soon became disenchanted with the European Parliament and the PPR. He founded "Green Amsterdam" and entered in the 1986 municipal elections. In 1987 the Federative Greens participated in the North Holland, South Holland and Gelderland provincial elections. They won one seat in North Holland Provincial council, partially because of the support of "Green Amsterdam". On March 10, 1989 after a fusion process of two years "Green Amsterdam" and the "Federative Greens" parties merged to form the Greens, a deep green
political party. In 1989 he was their national top candidate
, but failed to get a seat. In 1996 he became local councillor (for the second time) for the Greens. In 1999 he became a provincial councillor in North Holland
.
In 2001 he joined the GreenLeft
, a larger green party, which had formed out of the Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN)
, the Pacifist Socialist Party (PSP)
, the Political Party of Radicals (PPR) and the Evangelical People's Party (EVP). He had long pled for the merger of the Greens and GreenLeft. In 2006 he became ward
councillor for GreenLeft in Amsterdam Oud-Zuid
.
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, 20 January 1943) is a Dutch politician
Politics of the Netherlands
The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state...
, political activist and writer. He was a founder of Provo and the Kabouterbeweging. He was alderman for the Political Party of Radicals and currently is ward
Deelgemeente
A deelgemeente is a subdivision of a gemeente in Belgium and the Netherlands.-Belgium:...
councillor for the GreenLeft
GreenLeft
GreenLeft is a green political party operating in the Netherlands.GreenLeft was formed on 1 March 1989 as a merger of four left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Evangelical People's Party...
.
Biography
Van Duijn was born into an anthroposophicalAnthroposophy
Anthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
family in the Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. He attended a Montessori Grammar School. Subsequently, he attended the Montessori Lyceum where he attended the Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
, specializing in letters and graduated in 1963. In the Hague he had been active in the peace movement
Peace movement
A peace movement is a social movement that seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war , minimize inter-human violence in a particular place or type of situation, often linked to the goal of achieving world peace...
, organizing sitdown demonstrations against the nuclear bomb. He had also been editor for De Vrije Socialist, an anarchist magazine.
After graduation he moved to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
to study political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, he later turned to law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
. In 1965 he was one of the founders of the anarchist counter-culture Provo movement. In 1969 he was elected into the Amsterdam municipal council for the movement. In 1969 he founded the Green
Green politics
Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...
counter-culture Kaboutermovement and was involved in the Orange Free State. On April 17, 1970 he was shortly abducted by rightwing radical Joop Baank, but he did not inform the police authorities afterwards.
In 1973 he became a member of the progressive political party Political Party of Radicals (PPR). In 1974 he became Amsterdam alderman for the party. He refused an official car, but instead took an official bike. On February 15, 1975 a bomb was placed in the subway station Vensterpolder which was under construction by a group of rightwing radicals including Baank. The authorities assumed leftwing squat
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
ters to have placed the bomb and Van Duijn was the only member of the local government who refused to sign a statement blaming them. His period as alderman ended prematurely in January 1976. During his period as alderman he took several initiatives, for the use of sustainable energy, a municipal cable network and the municipal television channel (SALTO).
In 1977 he became an organic farmer and started a cheese farm in Veele (municipality of Vlagtwedde
Vlagtwedde
Vlagtwedde is a municipality in the very southeast of Groningen province in the northeastern Netherlands with seat of local government in the community of Sellingen...
) and had two sons. In 1981 he returned to Amsterdam and in 1983 he sold the farm.
In 1984 he was candidate for the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
for the Green Progressive Accord, a combined list of Political Party of Radicals (PPR), Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN) and the Pacifist Socialist Party (PSP)
Pacifist Socialist Party
The Pacifist Socialist Party was a Dutch left-socialist political party. The PSP played a small role in Dutch politics. It is a predecessor of the GreenLeft.-Before 1957:...
. He did not get a seat but joined the parliamentary party as a policy advisor.
He soon became disenchanted with the European Parliament and the PPR. He founded "Green Amsterdam" and entered in the 1986 municipal elections. In 1987 the Federative Greens participated in the North Holland, South Holland and Gelderland provincial elections. They won one seat in North Holland Provincial council, partially because of the support of "Green Amsterdam". On March 10, 1989 after a fusion process of two years "Green Amsterdam" and the "Federative Greens" parties merged to form the Greens, a deep green
Deep ecology
Deep ecology is a contemporary ecological philosophy that recognizes an inherent worth of all living beings, regardless of their instrumental utility to human needs. The philosophy emphasizes the interdependence of organisms within ecosystems and that of ecosystems with each other within the...
political party. In 1989 he was their national top candidate
Lijsttrekker
Lijsttrekker is a Dutch term for the top candidate of a party on a party list. He or she is almost always the party's political leader. After an election, this person usually leads the party's faction in the States-General, or serves in a senior position in the Cabinet if his party is part of...
, but failed to get a seat. In 1996 he became local councillor (for the second time) for the Greens. In 1999 he became a provincial councillor in North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
.
In 2001 he joined the GreenLeft
GreenLeft
GreenLeft is a green political party operating in the Netherlands.GreenLeft was formed on 1 March 1989 as a merger of four left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Evangelical People's Party...
, a larger green party, which had formed out of the Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN)
Communist Party of the Netherlands
The Communist Party of the Netherlands was a Dutch communist political party. The CPN is one of the predecessors of the GreenLeft.- Foundation :...
, the Pacifist Socialist Party (PSP)
Pacifist Socialist Party
The Pacifist Socialist Party was a Dutch left-socialist political party. The PSP played a small role in Dutch politics. It is a predecessor of the GreenLeft.-Before 1957:...
, the Political Party of Radicals (PPR) and the Evangelical People's Party (EVP). He had long pled for the merger of the Greens and GreenLeft. In 2006 he became ward
Deelgemeente
A deelgemeente is a subdivision of a gemeente in Belgium and the Netherlands.-Belgium:...
councillor for GreenLeft in Amsterdam Oud-Zuid
Amsterdam Oud-Zuid
Oud-Zuid is a neighborhood and a former borough of Amsterdam. It was formed in 1998 by merging the former boroughs of Zuid and De Pijp. In 2010 the borough was merged with Zuideramstel to form the borough Amsterdam-Zuid. On January 1st 2005 the borough had a population of 83,696...
.