2021 in the Netherlands
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Events from the year 2021 in the Netherlands.
Incumbents
Ongoing
Events
January to March
- 14 January – Lodewijk Asscher resigns as Leader of the Labour Party following the childcare benefits scandal; Lilianne Ploumen succeeds him four days later.[1]
- 15 January – The Third Rutte cabinet becomes a demissionary cabinet following the childcare benefits scandal.[2]
- 23–26 January – Protests and riots take place across the country as a 9 pm curfew is put into effect in a context of COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
- 15–17 March – A general election for the House of Representatives took place. The VVD win a plurality of seats in the Second Chamber on a 78.7% voter turnout.[4]
April to June
- 18–22 May – The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was held in Rotterdam after the cancellation of the 2020 contest due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Italy took the victory.[5][6]
- 9 June - In Noordwijk, the Museum of Comic Art, Noordwijk opens its doors to the general public.[7][8][9][10][11]
July to September
- 6 July - Murder of Peter R. de Vries: Peter R. de Vries, Dutch investigative journalist, is shot in the head outside RTL Boulevard studio in Amsterdam’s Lange Leidsedwarsstraat around 19:30 CEST while walking to his car.
- 14 July - 2021 European floods: Heavy rains cause severe flooding in Limburg, Valkenburg, Venlo, and Friesland, forcing thousands to evacuate and causing hundreds of homes to be damaged.
- 5 September - Max Verstappen wins the Dutch Grand Prix.
October to December
- 13 November - The Netherlands government reimposes a partial COVID-19 lockdown with early closures, social distancing, and limits on gatherings after record infections.[12]
- 19 November - November 2021 protests and riots: Protests against the 2G COVID-19 rule turn violent in several cities, including Rotterdam, where 51 were arrested; peaceful protests occur in Amsterdam and Breda.
Undated
- January: A Dutch public prosecutor declines to pursue criminal charges against Belastingdienst officers for extortion and discrimination; an appeal is launched in April and remains unresolved by the year’s end.[4]
- February: Dutch parliament votes to allow roughly 10,000 stateless refugees to apply for Dutch citizenship; implementation is delayed until July.[4]
- March: Nationwide demonstrations are held by environmental activists, despite COVID-19 restrictions.[4]
- July: A Dutch Interior Ministry committee issues a report on Dutch slavery, calling it a crime against humanity and recommending an official apology, investigation, and measures against institutional racism.[13]
- September: Dutch parliament condemns the government for inadequate protection of Afghans who had worked with Dutch organizations following the Taliban takeover.[4]
- November: Royal Netherlands Marechaussee announces it will no longer use ethnic profiling for border checks.[4]
References
- ↑ "Asscher trekt zich terug als lijsttrekker PvdA". NOS (in Dutch). 14 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ↑ "Dutch Rutte government resigns over child welfare fraud scandal". BBC. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ↑ "Covid: Dutch curfew riots rage for third night". BBC. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Netherlands: Freedom in the World 2022 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "Rotterdam returns as Eurovision Song Contest Host City in 2021". eurovision.tv. 16 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ↑ "Dates for Eurovision 2021 announced". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ↑ "Stripmuseum in Noordwijk opent in 2021: 'Voor toeristen, maar ook voor echte stripliefhebbers'". 20 July 2020.
- ↑ Stripschrift #466, pg 18-19: "MoCA, een museum uit liefde voor de strip"
- ↑ "Nieuw stripmuseum opent in het najaar de deuren". 10 July 2020.
- ↑ "Alweer een nieuw stripmuseum?!? | 383 « Michael Minneboo".
- ↑ "Winkel in Noordwijk wordt energieneutraal Museum of Comic Art". June 2021.
- ↑ Meijer, Bart H.; Deutsch, Anthony (13 November 2021). "Dutch return to partial lockdown as COVID-19 cases soar". Reuters. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "Dutch Apology on Slavery Only First Step | Human Rights Watch". 15 December 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
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