Politician uses racial slur in Dutch parliament

Forum voor Democratie parliamentarian Theo Hiddema raised eyebrows in the lower house of Dutch parliament on Thursday when he used the Dutch word 'neger', which roughly translates to 'negro', during a debate on the Ministry of Justice and Security, the Telegraaf reports.

According to Hiddema, the "proud, high-spirited negro" does not benefit at all from a law against insulting a group of people. He thinks a ban on inciting violence is all that's needed.

The D66 objected and insisted that Hiddema stops using the slur.

After the debate, Hiddema said he meant no harm with the word, saying that he wasn't talking about color at all. "The point is that the proud, high-spirited negro does not feel at all represented by the people who say they stand up for him. He almost gets sick of it."