“Eternal Happiness?” Protesters Challenge Jehovah’s Witness Shunning

Sunday, August 16th, 2026 – Jaarbeurs Boulevard, Peaceful Protesters Eydie Majka-Visser and other Former Jehovah’s Witnesses

Written and Published by: Miss Usato August 18th, 2026

A peaceful protest outside the 2026 international convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Utrecht challenged the organization’s shunning policy. Organizers say their silent demonstration was met with attempts to block their banners, loud counteractions, police intervention, and a physical confrontation involving a 16-year-old protester.

“Eternal Happiness? Not when you shun people.”

On Sunday, August 16, 2026, at the Jehovah’s Witnesses International Convention “Eternal Happiness,” Jehovah’s Witnesses arriving at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht encountered a message directly challenging the theme of their international convention: “Eternal Happiness? Not when you shun people.”

Standing along Jaarbeurs Boulevard was Moedig Vooruit (“Courageously Forward”), a group of former Jehovah’s Witnesses and activists protesting the religion’s shunning practices.

At its peak, approximately 20 protesters from the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium participated. Their demonstration was deliberately silent. There was no chanting. No attempts to interrupt the convention. Just people holding banners that thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses could see.

But according to organizer Eydie Majka-Visser, keeping the protest peaceful did not prevent confrontation. This article includes a written interview with Eydie Visser and comments from their group, Moedig Vooruit.

Eydie Visser

Baptized in 1978, Eydie Visser had been a Jehovah’s Witness for 43 years. Her turning point in questioning the Organization came in 2007, when she found out online that they had changed the baptism questions.

Eydie: “When I was baptized back in 1978, the baptismal questions stated that you were baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Then I found out online that they changed it to focus on ‘God’s spirit-directed organization.’ I immediately thought, ‘This is absolutely not Biblical.’

This is when Eydie and her husband started doing thorough research.

Eydie: “The organization’s shunning policy and how they treat people who leave was a massive trigger for us. We saw how they completely isolate people, and we wanted no part in that cruel system anymore. This, along with discovering how the organization sweeps sexual abuse under the rug and fails to report it, drove me to investigate even further.”

For the next ten years, Eydie and her husband were visited by the elders, and even the circuit overseer, who was quite aggressive about their stance.

Eydie: “In 2017, we took a definitive stand and wrote our disassociation letters, stating that we wanted to officially sever our ties with the organization and become activists against their harmful policies.”

Years later, she would find herself standing outside one of the religion’s international conventions, protesting the very policies that helped drive her away.

‘Moedig Vooruit’ (Courageously Forward)

Eydie: “Together, as an active group, we knew we needed a name for our movement, and that is how we came up with ‘Moedig Vooruit’ (Courageously Forward). We based this name on a well-known song of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Song 56 from the old songbook. We found it deeply fitting because, to us, ‘moving courageously forward’ means having the courage to leave that organization, to keep going, and to expose the truth.”

Within this group are Eric van Berkel, Hadassah Wiersema, and Eydie Majka-Visser, all of whom acted as the organizers of these protest actions.

Eydie: “First, we traveled to Utrecht by train to scout the area and find the best strategic location. We selected the Jaarbeurs Boulevard as the ideal spot, located right by the main entrance to the Jaarbeurs convention halls. After that, we drafted an official notification letter to the municipality of Utrecht. We specified our exact desired location, the specific date, Sunday, August 16th, the final day of the convention when attendance is at its highest, along with the estimated number of participants. We explicitly stated that it would be a highly visible but completely silent protest using banners, with absolutely no shouting or disruption.”

The banners that speak for millions

The protesters designed their largest banner around the convention’s own theme of “Eternal Happiness.” Their response: “Eternal Happiness? Not when you shun people.”

Eydie: “Other key banners read: ‘Love Never Shuns – Mandatory Shunning Must Stop.’ This slogan directly played on the phrase ‘Love Never Fails,’ a concept Jehovah’s Witnesses use frequently, highlighting the contradiction between their teachings on love and the cruel reality of their policies. We also displayed a banner reading: ‘Listen to your heart, stop shunning.’ This was a deeply emotional and personal appeal to the consciences of the individuals walking past us, reminding them that their natural empathy should always come before the organization’s rigid rules. For those secret doubters inside, we provided a crucial lifeline with a banner that read: ‘Officially In, Mentally Out? There is support if you want to leave.’ We wanted the PIMO (Physically In, Mentally Out) community to know they are not alone and that a supportive network awaits them on the outside. Furthermore, we took a firm, rights-based stance with a banner stating: ‘Shunning is discrimination.’ This framed the practice as a violation of fundamental human rights, shifting the conversation from a religious disagreement to a matter of profound injustice. Lastly, we proudly displayed our official active group banner, which defined the very heart of our movement: ‘Moedig Vooruit: Courageous to step out, courageous to keep going, courageous to expose.’ This validated how much bravery it takes to leave, how much strength is needed to rebuild, and how vital it is to speak out. Together, these banners sent a clear, undeniable message that true love does not cut people off, and that this forced isolation must come to an end.”

The protesters were not trying to stop Jehovah’s Witnesses from attending their convention. They wanted attendees to see the message as they entered.

At approximately 8:15 a.m. on August 16, the peaceful protest began.

The “Welcoming Committee” Moves In

When the day for Active Jehovah’s Witnesses and protestors began, problems began almost immediately.

Eydie: “The Jehovah’s Witnesses intentionally positioned themselves right on our approved protest spot, taking up a huge amount of space. It was difficult for us to maintain our position because they repeatedly stepped directly in front of our banners, blocking our visibility. Every time we moved to stand in front of them, they would deliberately step in front of us again. Instead of distributing literature, they formed a loud human wall.”

Then the silent protest encountered a very loud response. Shown in the above video, the Jehovah’s Witnesses began repeatedly shouting: “We love you! We love you!”

Eydie: “This was a textbook tactic of ‘love bombing’ used to drown out our silent presence and shield the incoming guests from seeing our banners.”

They also clapped loudly and continuously. The protesters viewed the display as an attempt to overwhelm their silent presence and prevent arriving convention attendees from focusing on their banners.

The Police Intervene

Eydie: “We initially contacted the Jaarbeurs security, but they stated it was public property and that the Witnesses were allowed to stand there. At that point, we decided to call the police. It took the police a long time to investigate and sort everything out on-site. Meanwhile, the Witnesses continued to block us. It even escalated when they grabbed one of our male activists by the arm and tried to push him away, which is absolutely unlawful.”

The officers investigated the situation and ultimately instructed the Jehovah’s Witnesses group to move back, finally allowing the protesters enough space to display their banners.

The activists grew from approximately 8 early in the morning to around 15 by 10 a.m., eventually reaching approximately 20 participants during the busiest part of the day. One banner generated an unexpected reaction.

It featured the word: OSTRACISM. The activists noticed Jehovah’s Witnesses discreetly photographing that sign with their phones.

The organization has traditionally used religious terminology, such as “disfellowshipping,” to refer to expulsion from the congregation. So, the activists deliberately chose secular terminology describing the social isolation they were protesting.

Whether anyone researched the word afterward is unknown. But the activists had succeeded in doing something important:

They made people curious.

Not every encounter was hostile. While the activists wished attendees a good morning and even told them to enjoy their convention, some Witnesses responded politely and asked: “Why don’t you join us inside?” The activists explained that they had disassociated.

Others reportedly reacted very differently. Eydie says they received cold stares, and some said comments like: “You weren’t disfellowshipped for no reason; you deserve to be out there.”

Perhaps the most unusual response came from Witnesses who reportedly said they were happy the protesters were there. According to Majka-Visser, these attendees interpreted opposition to Jehovah’s Witnesses as evidence that biblical prophecies concerning persecution and the “last days” were being fulfilled.

Eydie: “In their minds, the Bible predicts a massive attack on God’s organization at the end of time, so they used our peaceful presence to validate their own apocalyptic beliefs. It was incredible to see how they twisted our message of love and support into a sign of Armageddon.”

Alleged Physical Confrontation Involving a Minor

Organizers say another tense encounter occurred when activists attempted to use restroom facilities inside the Jaarbeurs (Convention Center). According to their public account, Jaarbeurs security had previously confirmed that they could use the facilities. Nevertheless, Jehovah’s Witness personnel attempted to prevent them from entering.

Eydie: “When we attempted to go in there for the bathroom, the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ internal security and attendants tried to physically bar us from entering. During this confrontation, they forcefully grabbed a 16-year-old activist from our group by the arm, leaving him with a visible bruise. The official Jaarbeurs venue security had to intervene. They explicitly told the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ security team that we had every right to use the restrooms since they are public facilities, and they forced them to let us through. Even after being ordered to let us pass, the Witnesses aggressively tailed us. They stalked us the entire way to the restrooms and back, ensuring we couldn’t speak to anyone, before escorting us back outside. This level of intimidation, physical force against a minor, and harassment by their internal security was a shocking and clear crossing of the line.”

The Protest Reaches Beyond the Boulevard

Throughout the day, some Jehovah’s Witnesses stopped to speak with protesters, though the attendees watched the interactions closely and approached the Jehovah’s Witnesses afterward.

Eydie: “They would hold the person back and corner them into a conversation to confront or question them about what was said. We do not know exactly what the attendants told them, but witnessing this constant surveillance was incredibly heavy. It proved to everyone watching that ordinary members are under total control; they are completely denied basic free will and cannot even have a spontaneous conversation without immediately being monitored and questioned by their own organization’s leadership.”

The demonstration also drew public attention. Passersby stopped to show support, with several mentioning the Dutch documentary “Jehova – Van God Los.” The documentary examines the experiences of former Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Netherlands, including shunning, manipulation, sexual-abuse allegations, and the psychological effects of leaving the religion. The filmmaker reportedly interviewed 57 former Witnesses, with a number appearing in the series. At the end of the day, the group said they were satisfied with what they had achieved and would most definitely hold another peaceful protest.

Eydie: “As a final statement, we want to emphasize that we are not letting this behavior go unchallenged. Because of everything that occurred during the convention, specifically the illegal blocking of our approved protest location and the physical harassment of a minor inside the venue, we have officially contacted the municipality of Utrecht. We have filed a formal report and demanded answers from the city authorities. Furthermore, we have written a formal letter to the branch office in Emmen, making it crystal clear that we absolutely do not accept their behavior. We demand a formal apology from them. We also want to send a clear message to the branch office in Emmen: their actions have only motivated us to campaign even harder in the future. We will not stop until they issue an apology, end their cruel shunning policy, and completely address the crisis of sexual abuse. Their attempts to intimidate us have backfired; we are now more determined than ever to continue our fight for truth and human rights.”

Inside, the convention promised “Eternal Happiness.” Outside, former members offered a different message: “Eternal Happiness? Not when you shun people.”

Sometimes a silent protest speaks the loudest. I commend those courageous enough to stand peacefully before family members, former friends, and active Jehovah’s Witnesses without shouting or resorting to confrontation. They stood in silence, but their messages were impossible to ignore.

Links to Media Coverage:

RTV Utrecht Article

RTV Utrecht Reel