Between the devil and the deep blue sea - University of Canterbury

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published and circulated in large numbers around the country in September. 122 By the
summer of 1916, around 1,000 people had signed. 123 At this stage, its wording was
improved and the manifesto inspired similar movements in other countries. 124 The strength
of the petition was not in the number of people who signed it, a definite minority, but more
in the fact that it was distributed in the tens of thousands of copies and encouraged
widespread discussion. The general populace knew of its existence and it pushed the issue
of conscientious objection into popular debate. The military authorities took decisive action
against any soldiers who signed the manifesto and hunted down copies in the "state of
siege" areas. The petition worried civilian authorities too, who used the law against
opruiing (rioting, causing public disturbances) to arrest most of the original signatories,
many of whom were jailed or fined. 125 The government warned civil servants, whose names
appeared on the manifesto, that if they did not retract their support they would lose their
jobs, resulting in the withdrawal of 183 signatures in December 1915. 126 Interestingly
enough, the SDAP wholeheartedly stood with the government, condemning the petition. 127
There are a number of different meanings associated with the Dutch word
dienstweigering (refusal to serve). It can have the connotation of conscientious objection,
where for personal, religious or political reasons a person cannot be placed in a position
where they might kill another. It can also have more extreme ideological connotations
associated with anti-militarism, where the entire concept of an anned force is deemed
immoral or politically incorrect. But, dienstweigering is also used in more particular cases
to describe soldiers who refuse to follow particular orders. Here a soldier may not have any
ideological reasons for disobeying his superiors, yet, nonetheless he does.
122 Ibid. p. 100. For copies of the manifesto, see: Ibid. pp. 97 - 98; ARA, "A-Dossiers van het Ministerie van
Buitenlandse Zaken 1871 - 1918" archive no. 2.05.03, inventory no. 178; ARA, "Archieven van de Generale Staf'
entry no. 2.13.70, inventory no. 3; ARA, "Archiefvan het Hoofdkwartier Veldleger" entry no. 2.13.16, inventory no.
280.
123 Heijmans et. al. De IA.M. V. p. 10I.
124 G. Jochheim, Antimilitaristisclie Aktionstheorie, Soziale Revolution und Soziale Verteidigung. Zur Entwickllll1g
del' Gewaltji'eiheitstheorie in del' europaischen, antimilitaristischen und sozialistischen Bewegung 1890 - 1940,
IlliteI' besonder Beriicksichtigllng del' Niederlande. Assen: Van Gm'cum, 1977, p. 178. For copy of an international
manifest, see: Minister of Justice to Minister of Foreign Affairs, 28 September 1916, in ARA, "A-Dossiers van het
Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken 1871 - 1918" archive no. 2.05.03, inventory no. 178.
125 Author unknown, "Het dienstweigerings-manifest" [The conscientious objection manifesto] Militair-Rechtelijk
Tijdschrift. 12, 1916, pp. 15 - 16; Ritter, De Donkere Poort Volume 1, pp. 259 - 261; Kleijngeld, Gel710biliseerde
militairen in Tilburg p. 141; Gerard van Boomen, Honderd Jaar Vredesbeweging in Nederland. [One hundred years
peace movements in the Netherlands] Amstelveen: Luyten, 1983, p. 200; Heijmans et. al. De I.A.M. V. pp. 100 - lOI.
126 Heijmans et. al. De IA.M. V. p. 100.
127 Ibid. p. 98; Ritter, De DOllkere Poort Volume 1, p. 262.