Sienie Strikwerda

Geesiena Jacoba "Sienie" Strikwerda (née van Klinken; 7 November 1921 – 23 June 2013) was a Dutch educator, feminist, and anti–nuclear weapons activist. She served as chairperson of the , the national committee against nuclear cruise missiles. On 29 October 1983, the committee organised a demonstration of 550,000 people which was the largest demonstration in the history of the Netherlands. In 1985, she offered Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers, a petition with 3.7 million signatures. She served in the Provincial Council of North Holland between 1991 and 1995.

Biography Van Klinken was born on 7 November 1921 in Musselkanaal, Netherlands. In the 1930s, the family moved to Leeuwarden where she spend her youth. In May 1940, she obtained her teaching degree with a specialisation in English. She worked as a nurse in the , a hospital in Amsterdam. In 1944, she met Pé Strikwerda and became pregnant. The couple later married, however she needed a note from her father for her release from the hospital, and it marked her beginning as a feminist.

On 21 November 1981, a large demonstration against nuclear weapons was organised in Amsterdam. The demonstration was attended by 400,000 to 450,000 people, and was organised by the (Interdenominational Peace Council) in collaboration with political parties, unions, and peace groups. A better organisational structure was needed, and in 1982, the Komitee Kruisraketten Nee was established with Strikwerda as chairperson. More than 3,000 buses arrived in The Hague, and the Dutch railways scheduled 120 extra trains. After the demonstration, the doors at Den Haag Centraal railway station were kept closed and people were let in piecemeal to prevent overcrowding. There were no incidents, and only 16 arrests from a counter-demonstration. To further pressure the government, a petition was organised.

Later life Strikwerda became a member of the Labour Party. In 1991, she participated in the elections for the Provincial Council of North Holland, and served until 1995.

Strikwerda died on 26 June 2013 in Amsterdam, at the age of 91.