Home in Maastricht's Moluccan district vandalized

An unoccupied home in Heer, the Moluccan district in Maastricht, was vandalized. "This is the Moluccan neighborhood. Only for Moluccans", was written on the home's window, and eggs were thrown against the facade, 1Limburg reports.

The vandalism may be linked to a letter that was recently circulated in the Moluccan community. According to 1Limburg, the letter stated that non-Moluccan people may move into the home and that the government increasingly wants non-Moluccan families to integrate into Moluccan neighborhoods. "This is done by, among other things, driving up the prices of the rental properties in such a way that they are no longer affordable for an average Moluccan family", the letter read. "Under the name 'European standard', housing association Woonpunt uses this killer to scare off Moluccan tenants."

Woonpunt told the news agency in a written response that agreements were made with the residents' committee in the Moluccan neighborhood about the allocation of vacant homes in Heer. "Those agreements include that people who are connected with the Moluccan district will be given priority, provided they meet the criteria that apply in terms of household composition and income." According to the association, no suitable candidate from the Moluccan community could be found for this specific home. So a number of non-Moluccan candidates were invited for a viewing.

"We acted exactly as agreed. Some people from the Moluccan district do not agree with that", Woonpunt said. "That is allowed. We will therefore discuss this again with the neighborhood." Woonpunt calls the vandalism unacceptable.