Demonstration in Amsterdam against declaration of asylum crisis and racism

A demonstration against the government will take place in Amsterdam on Sunday under the slogan “Give hate no power.” The action is supported by dozens of civil society organizations and, according to the organizer Platform Stop Racism & Fascism, is directed against the “far-right demolition policy” and the “PVV Cabinet.”

“This cabinet is calling for an asylum crisis, while the past VVD Cabinets actually demolished the reception of asylum seekers,” said a spokesperson for the organization. “Now the PVV and VVD are cynically exploiting this to make the lives of migrants even worse. The Netherlands does not have an asylum crisis; it has a racism problem”.

The spokesperson also announced that hundreds of people were expected. The activists will gather on the Spui at 1 p.m. after a few speeches, they will walk to the Dokwerker monument on the Jonas Daniël Meijerplein.

According to the social organization, the PVV Cabinet poses a “danger to our ideals of solidarity and justice because this government will commit itself to destroying these ideals.” Furthermore, Platform Stop Racism & Fascism accuses the current government of destroying social services and welfare and destroying climate policy and human rights.

Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber wants to declare an asylum crisis to take stricter measures in the short term to reduce the influx of asylum seekers. The proposal is controversial, partly because it is questionable whether it is legally permissible. An asylum crisis must relate to an exceptional situation, such as a war or natural disaster. Officials of the Ministry of the Interior say that declaring the asylum crisis “democratically and constitutionally unacceptable,” according to documents published on Thursday.