A Dutch election candidate was hauled out of a live televised debate after he was mistaken for an infamous vegan streaker.
Footage circulating on social media captured the moment security guards escorted Kevin Nuijten, from the audience of the event in the southern city of Tilburg.
The conservative JA21 party candidate was seen walking towards the exit of the venue after after event bosses were wrongly informed that he was Peter Janssen, a notorious animal rights activist.
Janssen, just days prior to the debate, had gatecrashed a live talk show during a discussion of the upcoming election wearing only his underwear.
After Nuijten was removed from the venue, he was reportedly handed to the police.
JA21 said in a statement: ‘During the Southern debate, our candidate @nuijten_kevin (#19) was escorted out by the police because he resembled the ‘vegan streaker’.
‘Fortunately, it was quickly resolved. Compliments to the security for their alertness. Vote #19, JA21 for a safer Netherlands! #FreeKevin’.
Nuijten was held for 15 minutes as officers attempted to confirm that he was not the criminal activist and just an innocent parliamentary candidate.
Footage circulating on social media captured the moment security guards escorted Kevin Nuijten, from the audience of the event in the southern city of Tilburg
Nuijten was held for 15 minutes as officers attempted to confirm that he was not the criminal activist and just an innocent parliamentary candidate
In Janssen’s most recent stunt last Thursday, he gate-crashed Eva Jinek’s live talk show, yelling: ‘It’s always about people, but we should also talk about animals’
‘I explained that I am a member of the Provincial Council in Brabant and that they could just google my name,’ he said via a party spokesman.
The parliamentary candidate described the situation as ‘funny’ and said he had ‘good conversations with the officers’.
Renzo Veenstra, editor-in-chief of broadcaster Omroep Brabant, said: ‘We were informed by the Royal and Diplomatic Security Service, who had been tipped off by a reporter from a national broadcaster, that the man was a ‘100 per cent’ match with the vegan streaker. And so he was removed.’
As an apology for the confusion, Nuijten was offered a beer and a branded scarf by the event hosts.
Animal rights activist Janssen has been carrying out his half-naked, and sometimes violent, demonstrations for over a decade.
He is known for showing up uninvited to events in just a pair of black underwear with slogans written across his body.
In his most recent stunt last Thursday, he gate-crashed Eva Jinek’s live talk show, yelling: ‘It’s always about people, but we should also talk about animals.’
The criminal activist had used a fake name to avoid being caught out during security checks on the audience of the show.
Animal rights activist Janssen has been carrying out his half-naked, and sometimes violent, demonstrations for over a decade
In 2010, he was jailed for releasing 2,500 minks from a Dutch breeder a year earlier.
Later, he was sentenced to a further 15 months behind bars for an arson attack against a slaughter house at a duck farm.
Around the same time, Janssen was accused of plotting to kill Queen Beatrix as she was well-known for wearing real animal fur.
His lawyers claimed the accusations were false and just an attempt to smear the activist.
