Amsterdam board of pro-diversity party Bij1 resigns claiming election fraud, racism

The board of the Amsterdam faction of the pro-diversity party BIJ1 has resigned. There is racism within the party, they clashed with the national party leadership, and there was fraud on the candidates’ list for the municipal elections, the board said in an email to BIJ1 members, AT5 reports.

The board said it regrets not speaking out at “critical moments.” “We deeply regret that we did not act when it turned out there was a considerable chance that fraud had occurred during the members’ meeting that established the list for the city council,” the board said. “We did not want to negatively influence the campaign, so we chose not to act. In hindsight, that was wrong.”

According to the board, there is “anti-black racism and misogynoir behavior” in all layers of the party. “Misogynoir” refers to misogynistic behavior towards black women. “Black leadership is not recognized, not valued, and is often opposed,” the board wrote. “BIJ1’s fight against racism is currently more focused on fighting it in the outside world. We are not yet sufficiently aware that there is anti-black racism and Afrophobia within the party.”

The board also expressed discontent with the national leadership of the party. “They have not acted adequately, and at the same time, they have tried in an undemocratic way to influence local decision-making processes,” they said in the email.

According to the board, the national party shot down their choice for a new chairman and pushed forward someone who wasn’t even on the Amsterdam city council yet. That despite the fact that their choice, Carla Kabamba, has stood in for the former chairman, Jazie Veldhuyzen, for months. Veldhuyzen is currently sick at home.