vijandendienst

Vijandendienst is a Dutch noun meaning "enemy service." The term describes actions or services provided to an enemy by individuals, organizations, or government bodies during a conflict, typically under occupation. It covers a range of activities, including sharing information with the enemy, supplying goods or facilities, assisting administrative or military operations, or disseminating propaganda. The label is primarily used in historical and academic contexts to assess collaboration with hostile powers.

Historically, the term is most closely associated with the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II, when some Dutch citizens and institutions supplied the occupiers or collaborated with their administration. Such acts were often viewed negatively in postwar discourse and could be treated as acts of treason or collaboration, with varying legal or social penalties depending on the country and period. The concept is used to analyze the continuum between resistance and accommodation, recognizing that individuals faced complex pressures and choices.

In modern Dutch scholarship, vijandendienst is discussed as part of debates about accountability, collective memory, and the ethics of resistance and collaboration. It is not a formal legal category in current law, but a historical term used to describe past episodes in which services or support were extended to enemy forces.

See also: collaboration, resistance, treason, wartime occupation.