Dutch wartime collaboration — and why certain symbols still carry a charge
Part of: Tweede Wereldoorlog
The Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging (NSB) was the Dutch Nazi party, active from 1931 to 1945. During the German occupation of the Netherlands (1940–1945), the NSB collaborated with the occupiers. NSB members helped round up Jews, reported on resistance members, and administered occupied territories. About 100,000 Dutch people were members at the movement's peak.
After the war, NSB leaders were tried and executed. Members were purged from public life. The party is one of the most toxic labels in Dutch political history — calling someone an "NSB'er" is about as bad as it gets.
The Prinsenvlag — literally "Prince's Flag" — is an orange-white-blue tricolour. It's the historical predecessor of the modern Dutch flag (which is red-white-blue). The orange stripe refers to the House of Orange-Nassau, the Dutch royal family.
The Prinsenvlag was adopted by the NSB as its flag during the occupation. Because of this, displaying it today carries an immediate connotation of fascism and collaboration — similar to how the Confederate flag functions in the United States. Most Dutch people see it and immediately think: Nazi sympathiser.
It occasionally appears at far-right demonstrations, sometimes claimed by people who say they're just showing Dutch heritage. Most observers don't buy it.
The Netherlands has a complicated relationship with its wartime history. The country had a high rate of Jewish deportation — about 75% of Dutch Jews were killed, higher than France or Belgium — and historians have debated why the Dutch administrative apparatus cooperated as efficiently as it did.
This history makes the Dutch particularly sensitive to the reappearance of fascist symbols. When the Prinsenvlag appears at an anti-asylum policy protest, it's not a neutral act. It places the protest in a lineage that most Dutch people find repugnant, even those who share concerns about immigration.
These guides are written to help you understand the Netherlands — not to replace professional advice. We do our best to be accurate but we make mistakes and information goes out of date. For anything that affects your legal status, taxes, finances, or health, verify with an official source or a qualified advisor.