Security: Asylum issues may be dangerous for MP's

By gkidd on October 8, 2015 - 19:08
Vluchthaven Amsterdam
Vluchthaven, a former prison in Amsterdam, after receiving security upgrades. July 10, 2004. (photo: 1-Line Safety & Security Management). (Vluchthaven, a former prison in Amsterdam, after receiving security upgrades. July 10, 2004. (photo: 1-Line Safety & Security Management))

Members of parliament in the Netherlands were warned via email about the potential dangers they may face when discussing issues related to asylum in public, according to AD. They were instructed to consult with security experts whenever scheduling an event regarding the topic.

The letter did not single out supporters of either side of the migrant crisis issue, and instead warned that passionate opinions exist on all sides. The letter follows an attempt to block Justice Secretary Klaas Dijkhoff from leaving a town hall discussion about the placement of a total of 1,400 asylum seekers in Oranje, Drenthe, a village of 140.

Members of the Tweede Kamer, the Lower House of Dutch Parliament, were told to stay on high alert to potential dangers, or situations spiraling out of control.

The issue of asylum seekers is fixed on many minds throughout the Netherlands as public debates are often heated, while city council hearings across the country have been interrupted by angry citizens.

The Parliamentary security department has written that it sees this as a time of high risk at a time when both supporters and opponents of refugees are expressing their disdain with members of parliament, reports AD.

Tags: