Gassan interview questions

At the interview one of the interviewers requested me to give a name and a contact of my last two employers. I told the interviewers I had a recommendation letter from my last employer, and wrote the name of my last manager, but regarding the employment before that I had no one I could say was above me, and that was still working there, but the owner, whose name featured on my contract with that company, and that was all I was able to give. Later I learned this was illegal, that in the Netherlands it is the prospective employee who needs to give permission of which reference contacts to give. I felt the interviewer did not believe any word of what I was saying, my CV, etc, even though I showed pictures of my work, etc. Foreigners, and those who are not very fluent in Dutch too, should not apply, for the interviewing process might be very demeaning.