Wednesday, 22 October 2014 - 08:55
Mayor: Amsterdammers must stay alert for radical Islamists
In his weekly column in the Amsterdam edition of Metro, Mayor Eberhard van der Laan called on Amsterdammers to be alert for suspicious situations and signs of radicalization, and to report them to the police or municipality.
Because of the Netherlands' participation in the fight against terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS), people are concerned about the risk of a terrorist attack. According to Van der Laan, the municipality, Public Prosecutor and police have taken measures (visible and invisible) to help prevent such an attack. "Still we have to realize that despite all these measures, an attack in Amsterdam remains a possibility" he writes, "We really can not prevent everything"
An example of these measures is the use of 150 key figures. "Special young Amsterdammers who understand how important it is to 'win back' radicalized Amsterdammers. They are specially trained to provide information and talk about this issue in their network." After the attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels earlier this year, more police surveillance has been placed at Jewish institutions in the city.
The mayor also writes that Amsterdammers must not drive themselves crazy over this threat. "We must continue to live our lives just like we've always done: tolerant and interested in each other. We must fight intolerance without becoming intolerant ourselves. That made Amsterdam the great city that it is, and we must never give it up."