Dutch gov't promises to investigate many far-reaching measures against anti-Semitism
The Dutch government is committed to fighting anti-Semitic violence with far-reaching measures, Prime Minister Dick Schoof said in a parliamentary debate on violence in Amsterdam last week. The Prime Minister mainly promised to investigate various measures put forward by parliamentarians, including asking the Public Prosecution Service (OM) to also prosecute rioters for terrorism and stripping Dutch nationality from people convicted of anti-Semitic violence and who have dual-citizenship, NOS reports.
“Within the Cabinet, there are few taboos for a firm approach to anti-Semitism,” Schoof assured the parliamentarians. Schoof said he could imagine that the OM would prosecute the perpetrators for terrorism because they wanted to spread fear with their actions. And it is already possible for the Dutch government to strip the Dutch nationality off someone convicted of a terrorist crime, provided that it doesn’t leave them stateless. The government will point out the possibility to the OM, but Schoof stressed that the OM itself decides on charges.
Schoof also promised to investigate “educational punishment” for perpetrators of anti-Semitism, in which they have to visit the former Nazi concentration camp Westerbork, for example. He called this proposal from the CDA “sympathetic.” The government will also look into banning face-covering clothing at demonstrations and expanding the police’s power to listen in on communications and using summary justice. He also pointed out existing plans to distinguish between peaceful demonstrations and disruptive actions and to tackle informal education, especially in Islamic weekend schools.
The government will present its action plan against anti-Semitism, involving 4.5 million euros, on Friday. Minister David van Weel of Justice and Security promised another 1.2 million euros for security at Jewish objects and buildings.
Last week Thursday, on the day of a match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, there were many violent incidents in Amsterdam. Israelis were chased and assaulted by small groups of rioters in various places in the city. Anti-Semitic insults can be heard in videos of the incidents. There is also footage of Maccabi supporters instigating violence against Amsterdam locals. The police gathered a large group of Israeli supporters and took them to their hotel by bus, for their protection.
The violence prompted many fierce reactions from national politicians and Israel. The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, debated the violence for hours on Wednesday. All parties expressed their horror and condemnation of people chasing and attacking Israeli football fans. Right-wing parties like the PVV and BBB are convinced that the violence was mainly committed by Dutch-Morrocans.
Left-wing parties also called for attention to the Islamic community, pointing out how right-wing politicians, including the Prime Minister himself, calling the violence an integration problem, made a whole group of the population feel abandoned. Don’t add fuel to the fire, but extinguish it, argued GroenLInks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans and D66 leader Rob Jetten.
Schoof defended his statements about an integration problem by saying he wasn’t talking about all immigrants, only the group of young people who have “turned away from society,” he said. “To others, I say: no, that is not about you, I stand with the good who suffer under the bad.”
Amsterdam mayor response
After the debate, Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam issued a statement with the local police and OM, asking national politicians to stop exacerbating matters. “Unifnormed qualifications and the exertion of political pressure are adding fuel to the fire. It attracts new demonstrators and rioters, it can lead to escalations that also make the police unsafe.”
The Amsterdam office of mayor, police, and prosecutor “makes an urgent appeal to leave ongoing and complicated police operations to the local authorities that operate based on information and advice from police specialists.”
