r/nottheonion • u/DerangedUnicorn27 • 4d ago

Convicted child rapist qualifies for Olympics

https://www.newsweek.com/steven-van-de-velde-dutch-beach-volleyball-olympics-1918442
19.2k Upvotes

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1.3k

u/voicebread 4d ago

He groomed her online, TOOK A FLIGHT to meet her, and then raped her while her mother wasn’t home 

fuck this piece of shit, I wish him unimaginable agony 

460

u/DerangedUnicorn27 4d ago

Yep. But don’t worry! He gets the honor of representing his country at the highest level in sports. Priorities. /s

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u/basick_bish 4d ago

The Dutch about to get judged by the world on morality; It's Glorious.

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u/AlienCrashSite 3d ago

They are way too up their own asses to care

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u/Flesroy 3d ago

You think the dutch are happy with this? There were multiple post about this in r/thenetherlands. We just dont have a say.

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u/Essaiel 3d ago

Reddit is a minority. I don't think a subreddit is an accurate representation of a country's standing.

If reddit would be believed, Trump would never have become president, Brexit wouldn't have happened and the Boston bomber was some guy that killed himself well before.

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u/Flesroy 3d ago

Absolutely and dutch redditors are indeed more left wing and progressive than the average dutch person. Im still willing to bet money that the majority of the people in my country do not support a convicted child rapist.

My opinion of the dutch people is pretty low after our recent elections but its not that low...

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u/AlienCrashSite 3d ago

Of course I don’t.

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u/Flesroy 2d ago

The "they" in your comment seems to refer to "the dutch" in the comment above.

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u/AlienCrashSite 23h ago

First time on the internet?

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u/pancakemania 3d ago

It seems they’re too busy either raping children or apologizing for children being raped

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted]

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u/toomanymarbles83 4d ago

I'm associating him with the Dutch Olympic Committee that is defending their decision to nominate a child rapist. They can all go fuck themselves.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted]

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u/toomanymarbles83 4d ago

So you're saying he shouldn't be representing your country then?

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u/Bamboemuts 4d ago

Yes, just like a lot of Dutch people are. In the Dutch subs he's getting condemned too.

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u/toomanymarbles83 4d ago

Just He? The real issue is with all of the people who are apparently fine with this. It's not just one guy. It's the entire committee that has enabled him.

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u/Bamboemuts 4d ago

Yeah those people don't represent the opinion of the whole country though. Just because a few people make a decision, doesn't mean the whole country agrees. Thats like saying all of Russia agrees with Putin, while we've seen that isn't the case.

The Dutch hate rapists too, believe it or not.

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u/OblongShrimp 4d ago

I’ve seen a bunch of support for him on Dutch subs and news article comments sections. He’s also officially backed by the Dutch Volleyball Association - they made a statement basically saying they don’t care about his crimes and him raping a child was just an oopsie. Dutch media also treats this case very pathetically saying English-speaking media are making a fuss.

The amount of support a child rapist got in this country is truly disturbing and embarrassing.

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u/godzilla9218 4d ago

Obviously. Do you think that Trump, Trudeau, Johnson or whichever piece of shit "represents" your country in government should do so?

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u/toomanymarbles83 4d ago

I'm sufficiently embarrassed by my country's leadership. So, you don't get any points for that one.

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u/godzilla9218 4d ago

Exactly so, assuming the entire Dutch nation supports this asshole is a pretty stupid take.

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u/Thinking_Emoji 4d ago

He is literally being sent to an international competition to represent his country...

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u/SonOfMetrum 4d ago

I didn’t vote for him… so no he doesn’t represent me … fuck this guy…

5

u/polar_bearonbass 4d ago

I forgot the olympic comitee only send people to the olympics if they have 100% support after a democratic vote. /S

10

u/bannedthriceamback 4d ago

Don't y'all Europeans take the liberty of associating trash Americans with the entirety of America?

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u/Jostain 4d ago

Well, you released him after one year. Whatever justice system that let that happen was democratically created by its citizens so that is collectively the netherlands fault.

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u/Top_Reflection5075 4d ago

So literally what all of European Reddit does to the US?

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u/Squirrelly_Khan 4d ago

He was released after one year, that’s kind of the country’s fault

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u/sparkyjay23 3d ago

Steven van de Velde, 29, and his partner, Matthew Immers, secured their spot in the upcoming Games, topping the Dutch rankings for the country's two men's beach volleyball spots.

Convicted child rapist Steven van de Velde.

Why is his name absent from the conversation?

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u/EarwigSwarm 4d ago

I'm hoping the other athletes will give him a little justice in the changing rooms/athletes village if he actually does end up going to the olympics. Hopefully at least 1 or 2 of the other athletes/coaches/service personnel at the games will tank a DQ/ risk prison to see some Justice enacted.

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u/trowzerss 3d ago

I'm hoping he's banned from the athlete's village actually. Some of the other athletes are young teenagers.

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u/thedoofimbibes 3d ago

I mean that’s just humanity. Fame, wealth, prestige, and beauty are all that actually matter to most humans. And therefore to society. 

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u/blankedboy 3d ago

And he’s now married to a police officer!?

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u/bwmat 4d ago

Why does taking a flight make it worse? 

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u/duchess_of_fire 4d ago

shows it was planned? like the difference between murder vs manslaughter

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u/jsonson 4d ago

And it's not like driving somewhere 30 min away.... he planned and bought tickets to a foreign country, took a taxi, prob got hotel, etc

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u/bwmat 4d ago

Doesn't the grooming do that already? 

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u/teh_fizz 3d ago

Yeah. And not all plans are the same? You can groom someone who lives down the street, or like this guy, groom someone in a other country, fly out when her parents aren’t around, get her drunk, then rape her three times.

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u/Auctoritate 4d ago

In a lot of countries, traveling across provincial or country borders can actually add enhancements to a crime. For instance, in the US, traveling across state lines for something like this elevates it to a higher level federal crime rather than being prosecuted by the state, and the country actually criminalizes people who travel internationally with the intent of committing illegal sex acts.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

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u/bwmat 3d ago

Yeah, but didn't the grooming already establish that 'enough'? 

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u/WhoIsYerWan 3d ago

And some lady married him after that.