Dutch town sues Twitter over ‘satan-worshipping paedophile’ conspiracy theories

A small Dutch town took Twitter to court on Friday to demand the social media giant takes down all messages relating to a supposed ring of satan-worshipping paedophiles that were alleged to have been active in the town in the 1980s.

Bodegraven-Reeuwijk, a town of around 35,000 inhabitants in the middle of the Netherlands, has been the focus of conspiracy theories on social media since 2020, when three men started spreading unfounded stories about the abuse and murder of children they said took place in the town in the 1980s.

The main instigator of the stories said he had childhood memories of witnessing the abuse by a group of people in Bodegraven.