[Publication against the Licence of the Press. Issued on 8 September 1786]

On 8 September 1786 the States of Gelre and Zutphen issued a ban on the publishing or sale of newspapers and other journals without prior approval from the authorities. This was prompted by newspaper reports against the States-General, the regional authorities, the stadtholder and other persons. A number of journals were banned, including De Post van de Neder-Rhijn and De Politieke Kruyer.
Patriots denounced the edict and produced and distributed an offprint in blood-red ink, that became known as the Bloedplacaat ["Blood Edict"]. Various towns such as Harderwijk and Nijmegen protested against the ban issued by the States on the grounds that it was not legal and issued without approval. Consequently they requested its withdrawal. The States agreed to this request because they recognized that the ban on newspapers could not be maintained.

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