PM Rutte, Wilders undermining Dutch constitution: Amnesty International

Only lst year Amnesty International fought against unjust regimes in countries like Turkey or Russia. This year the United States is almost at the top of the list and even the Netherlands is climbing in the rankings of countries the organization is concerned about, director Eduard Nazarski said to RTL Nieuws. He specifically mentioned PVV leader Geert Wilders and VVD leader and Prime Minster Mark Rutte.

It was with great amazement and disgust that he read, for example, Rutte's open letter "to all Dutch" published in various newspapers last week. In it he launched his "if you don't like it, get out" campaign. Nazrski was particularly concerned about the paragraphs in which Rutte talked about how the "abnormal behavior" of immigrants irritates him and how he calls on people to "act normal" or leave. "I found that very disappointing. In the letter Rutte is doing the same thing as Wilders: he connects loutish behavior with refugees", the Amnesty International director said to RTL.

In addition, there is something essential about the Netherlands that Rutte fails to show in the letter, Nazarski said. "The rule of law is for everyone, whether you follow the rules or not, no matter your faith or ethnic background. What is 'normal' is irrelevant. Because who determines what 'normal' is? The constitution is relevant. We have laws, criminal procedures and human rights. If refugees cross the line, it is dealt with according to those rules, just as for people who were born here."

He continued: "If Wilders, and now also Rutte, no longer stand for the equality of people, they are undermining our constitution. Former Minister Hirsch Ballin said something remarkable about this: 'The constitution is there for everyone. And if it is no longer there for everyone, it is not a constitution anymore."