Activists push to block Parliament leader from emancipation event over “racist” remarks

Several dozen grassroots organizations and activists have asked the organizers of the Keti Koti commemoration in Amsterdam not to let Tweede Kamer president Martin Bosma lay a wreath at the commemoration of the abolition of slavery this year. According to the activists, united in the Coalition for a Dignified July 1 Commemoration, the PVV parliamentarian has a history of racist remarks, and his inclusion in this emancipation event is a violation of a day that is significant for the Afro-Caribbean and Indigeneous-Caribbean Dutch.

“July 1 is a significant, almost sacred day for Afro-Caribbean and Indigenous-Caribbean Dutch people. We reflect on the history of who we are, from the injustice done to our ancestors to the injustice that still exists in today’s society,” the coalition, represented by spokespersons Glenn Helberg and Marisa Monsanto, said in a statement sent to NL Times. “Asking our community to tolerate Bosma’s presence there crosses a line. It is not possible to separate the function from the person Bosma, with his racist beliefs.”

Bosma’s history of making controversial public remarks spans a period of two decades, the 35 grassroots organisations and 150 individuals noted in their letter to the Municipality of Amsterdam and the National Institute Dutch Slavery History and Heritage. “He makes derogatory and racist remarks about Afro-Caribbean Dutch people. He denies the ongoing impact of the slavery past on contemporary society in the form of discrimination and exclusion. He has spread racist ‘replacement’ theories, referred to the commemorative year as ‘slavery whining,’ and spoken of ‘anti-white racism’ and ‘propaganda and indoctrination’ concerning the slavery past,” the coalition said.

The coalition acknowledged that including dignitaries in the ceremony has contributed to recognition and connection. “But a wreath-laying by Bosma dishonors the intrinsic meaning of this moment. It strips away the authenticity from the tribute.”

Last week, the Amsterdam Zuidoost district committee also passed a motion asking the Amsterdam authorities to speak out against Bosma’s participation in the Keti Koti ceremony. A motion by BIJ1 and DENK to resist the “extreme right-wing wind from The Hague” received majority support, AT5 reports. “That starts by not allowing the current PVV president of parliament to play any official role in the commemoration of slavery,” BIJ1 committee member Dylan Bakker said.

According to Bakker, Bosma “rails against everything that has to do with diversity and inclusion. Such a person has no business participating in commemorations in our diverse city, not even in a role as President of the Tweede Kamer.” He called Bosma’s presence at the ceremony “a slap in the face” of enslaved people’s descendants. “It doesn’t matter what role he is in, he is still the same guy.”

The Coalition for a Dignified July 1 Commemoration also spoke out against moving the ceremony from the slavery monument in Amsterdam’s Oosterpark to the Museumplein. The ceremony was moved there last year to allow for a bigger attendance during King Willem-Alexander’s apologies for the Netherlands' history of slavery. The ceremony is planned on the Museumplein again this year to facilitate the King again. According to the coalition, some people feel that moving the commemoration away from the slavery monument should not be normalized.