Dutch football pundit will not be prosecuted for racist comments about MP
Dutch football pundit Johan Derksen will not be prosecuted for his comments about GroenLinks-PvdA parliamentarian Habtamu de Hoop, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) reported on Thursday. Even though the prosecutors admit that the comments were offensive, De Hoop has stated that he does not wish to press charges.
De Hoop was born in Ethiopia before being adopted by a couple from Friesland when he was eight. He made a video speaking in Frisian, the language of Friesland, in which he spoke of how he wanted to protect the language. Derksen responded to these comments by saying “Someone who was born in Friesland has the right to talk about it. He's not Frisian, come on.” during an episode of talk show Voetbal Inside on April 9, 2024. He followed this up by saying “I’m not Surinamese, am I?” Many believed this comment was in response to the fact that De Hoop is black.
Two criminal reports were filed as a result of Derksen’s comments, but De Hoop did not file a report. The OM stated that one of the reasons they are not prosecuting is the fact that the MP responded to Derksen in a public way via social media at the time.
De Hoop responded to the news, saying that he is happy that the OM stated that the comments were offensive. "It is good that attention is being paid to this because when these kinds of statements are made on national television, it goes beyond me personally," said the politician.
The decision to not press charges was a conscious decision, said De Hoop. "Simply because I didn't feel like wasting my time on this kind of nonsense." Still, he thinks it is important that the Public Prosecution Service takes the issue seriously. "More and more people are wondering whether they are still allowed to belong. Especially since the last elections. That affects me and it makes me angry."
This was not the first time that Derksen has caused controversy. The 75-year-old has been accused of racism, sexual abuse, and homophobic comments in the past.
Reporting by ANP and NL Times
