Case dropped: Deputy PM not prosecuted for saying Jew hatred is part of Muslim culture
The group insult case against Deputy Prime Minister Mona Keijzer has been dropped, the lawyer representing the complainants told NU.nl. She won’t be prosecuted for saying that “hatred of Jews is almost part of the culture” in countries where Islam is the dominant religion. She made that statement on Sophie & Jereon on May 17th, before being sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning.
Keijzer apologized for the statement after criticism from other guests on the talk show, but a group of lawyers and a historian with a Muslim background still pressed charges against her. They believe that a Cabinet member cannot be allowed to get away with such statements with nothing more than a quick apology after criticism.
The complainants are disappointed that the case was dropped but don’t feel like they achieved nothing. “The Public Prosecution Service (OM) confirmed that Keijzer made unsubstantiated statements in the program and therefore behaved irresponsibly,” lawyer Reinout Sterk told NU.nl, speaking on behalf of the complainants. “That behavior can create a breeding ground for intolerance and undermine respect for the equality of others.”
Historian Kasim Tekin, who was involved in the charges, said he was not surprised by the dismissal. “Unfortunately, it has become quite normalized to make strong statements about Muslims,” he told the newspaper. “This has to do with the fact that society is not aware of what such statements do to Muslims. Unfortunately, this apparently also applies to the OM.”
A spokesperson for the OM said that Keijzer made her statements in the context of the “public debate” and that prosecuting her for that would violate freedom of expression. “A politician has more room to say things,” the spokesperson explained.
The OM did add that Keijzer’s statements were unnecessarily insulting to a group of people because of their race and religion and that she did not take sufficient responsibility for preventing her statements from inciting intolerance. According to the OM, Keijzer is “in principle” guilty of punishable group insult.
