Two self-proclaimed “sovereign citizens” have been given jail sentences for threatening police officers and a bailiff with a terrorist motive.

The Midden-Nederland court sentenced 53-year-old Roeland M from Den Dolder to a year in jail, of which six months suspended, while 54-year-old Paolo P from Utrecht will spend three months of his six-month sentence in prison.

The two men are prominent and vocal members of a group of an estimated 10,000 people who call themselves “sovereign citizens” who do not recognise the Dutch state or the rule of law.  They often refuse to pay tax or rent, resulting in confrontations with police and bailiffs.

Among the death threats sent to police officers was one saying masked men would force their car off the road and shoot at them. Another mentioned an officer’s “loved ones” as targets. A bailiff was threatened with a citizen’s arrest and told that he “will croak.”

They also planned to “arrest” a judge. A tapped phone conversation in which that plan was discussed prompted their arrest.

The national anti-terrorism group NCTV said in 2023 it was concerned some members of the movement may resort to violence. In November of that year Gorinchem mayor Reini Melissant was accosted by a man in the street who threatened to kill her. The man, who said he was “autonomous” complained about the “power of the mayor” and said “the bullets are coming”.

The two men said in their defense their actions were “a cry for attention” and meant to open up a dialogue with police. Both claimed to be no longer active in the movement.

Experts have warned not to dismiss the group as cranks and to try and understand their motives, something the Supreme Court has also called for.

The coronavirus crisis was an important breeding ground for a mix of conspiracy theories and spirituality, and a lashing out against “an evil elite,” Itai Siegel, who studies the sovereignty movement, told broadcaster NOS.

“Most are not violent but want to be self-sufficient within the boundaries of the law, for instance, by providing for their own food,” he said.