No extra protection for Charlie Hebdo survivor at Amsterdam talk: report
The Dutch security services refused to give any extra protection to Charlie Hebdo survivor Zineb El Rhazoui for her talk in Amsterdam's De Balie on Thursday evening, De Balie director Youri Albrecht said to the Telegraaf.
El Rhazoui has been the target of death threats for years after she survived an attack on satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. "In France she is secured 24/7 by the French security services", Albrecht said to the newspaper. When he met her in a highly secured location in France, she arrived in an armored car. "It seems that she is better protected than French president Macron."
"But the Dutch services did not give French security guards permission to carry weapons here. She is also not protected by the Dutch services", Albrecht said. According to him, the "reprehensible carelessness of the Dutch government in terms of security is slowly becoming incredibly tiring and worrying." He adds that this is not the first time he is confronted with this attitude.
Zineb El Rhazoui has spoken out against what she calls "fascist Islam" and the oppression of women in the name of religion for years. On Thursday evening she will talk about women's rights, Islam, and freedom of expression in De Balie.
De Balie had to hire a private security company for Thursday. There will be a strict door policy. The center also informed the police about El Rhazoui's talk. "Fortunately we have god contact with them", Albrecht said.
The National Coordinator for Counter-terrorism and Security told the Telegraaf that "in such cases careful consideration is always made".
