1,000 discrimination reports after MP's vote to register dual-citizens' "norms & values"

The Dutch discrimination hotlines received over 1,000 reports after parliament adopted a motion to investigate the “norms and values” of ethnically diverse Dutch people, Discriminatie.nl, the umbrella organization of anti-discrimination agencies, told NU.nl.

Late last month, VVD parliamentarian Bente Becker proposed that the government “keep track of data on cultural and religious norms and values of Dutch people with a migration background.” The motion received support from 108 of the 150 parliamentarians. Only GroenLInks-PvdA, D66, PvdD, Volt, and DENK voted against it, pointing out that only investigating immigrants and their children was outright discrimination.

“Many reporters hopelessly wonder whether the negative way in which politicians approach people with a migration background will ever stop,” Discrimninatie.nl chairman Sjaak van der Linde told NU.nl. “They no longer recognize the country in which they live or grew up. Some reporters wonder what they are still doing in this country, which ultimately still does not see them as fully-fledged Dutch citizens because of their migration background.”

Van der Linde pointed out that many people experience a threshold to report discrimination and hesitate to come forward. “The fact that the number of reports is now so high is, therefore, a worrying sign.”

On Friday, Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he was aware of the sensitivity of the motion. Several parties who supported it also felt compelled to publicly justify themselves later. The SP, for example, said it made a “wrong assessment.”