Thursday, October 23, 2014 - 12:38
Mayor's remarks on Jews and jihadists sparks outrage
On Radio 1 Mayor of Hilversum Pieter Broertjes compared the situation around ISIS to the Jewish people who left for Israel after World War II.
The theme of the broadcast was about possibly confiscating the passports of jihadists.
In September Broertjes heard that a family with four underage children from his hometown had left for Syria to join the jihad. "You have to have a good reason to take a passport. Someone must have committed a criminal offense. And you don't know if someone is going there for war."
At some point the interviewer asked him whether he is saying to let them go, let them fight it out. "It comes to adult humans. The Dutch also went to Israel after the war to fight against the British. We didn't stop them then either." Broertjes answered.
On Twitter people are reacting in disgust to the comment.
Burgemeester Broertjes (PvdA) weer in opspraak. Hij vergeleek op Radio 1 ISIS met Joden die naar Israël gingen na de Tweede Wereldoorlog.
— Alexander Bakker (@alexanderbakker) October 23, 2014
https://twitter.com/Louis_Bontes/status/525218216231337984Beste @pieterbroertjes, graag geeft #CIDI u geschiedenisles. #Isis terroristen vergelijken met Joden richting #Israel na WOII is ridicuul
— Esther Voet (@Esther_Voet) October 23, 2014