The violence a police officer used while arresting a woman on Stadhuisplein in Rotterdam last month was not proportional, Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb wrote in response to questions from the local DENK faction. The officer was allowed to use force, but the degree of violence used crossed a line, according to the mayor, NOS reports.
Ahmed Aboutaleb
Jun 27 '18 10:10
The police arrested a 29-year-old man from Rotterdam on Thursday afternoon after he waved a knife around in the Rotterdam city hall. The man was tasered and bitten by a police dog during his arrest, AD reports.
The incident happened around 3:45 p.m. at the main entrance of the city hall on Coolsingel. Witnesses told AD that the man shouted for help and then walked up the building's stairs, where he was stopped by security guards.
Jun 25 '18 08:40
Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb is under extra security due to a death threat he received after a city council debate on Thursday, June 15th, he said on NOS World Cup program Studio Russia on Sunday.
Jun 11 '18 09:47
Freedom of speech means that everyone must be able to express their opinion, whatever it may be, Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said at a neighborhood Iftar on Sunday. "No matter how poisonous the message may be, it must be able to be expressed", he said in reaction to him allowing a Pegida pork roasting demonstration at the Laleli mosque in Rotterdam-Zuid last week, ANP reports.
Jun 8 '18 10:10
About 20 supporters of anti-Islam movement Pegida decided at the last minute not to hold a demonstrative barbecue in front of the Laleli Mosque in Rotterdam on Thursday. According to Pegida, the police said that their safety couldn't be guaranteed. According to the police, they said no such thing and the group decided on its own to leave, NU.nl reports.
A spokesperson for Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb told the newspaper that Pegida "made the decision not to let the demonstration go on itself, when they saw the crowd."
Jun 7 '18 08:54
Turkey fiercely criticized Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb for allowing anti-Islam movement Pegida to roast pigs in front of the Laleli mosque on Thursday evening. On Twitter Omer Celik, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, called the decision to allow this protest "immoral".
Mar 30 '18 15:20
Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb is calling for a pay increase for the municipal councilors in the large Dutch cities.
Currently councilors in municipalities with 357,001 or more inhabitants receive around 2,300 euros gross. Aboutaleb wants this to increase to 2,800 euros gross, Het Parool reports.
"Officially, councilor is a secondary function, but that is really nonsense", Aboutaleb said on Friday, according to the newspaper. "In practice, the council work takes up three to four days [per week]."
Mar 26 '18 08:31
Controversial imam Fawaz Jneid from The Hague called Rotterdam mayor Ahmad Aboutaleb an 'enemy of Islam' and a renegade Muslim in an hour long preach on social media, reports the Telegraaf, who had the Arabic preach translated to Dutch by a credited interpreter.
Feb 15 '18 07:57
Former Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers passed away on Wednesday. He was in poor health for some time, a spokesperson for the 78-year-old CDA politician said. While other politicians knew that Lubbers was not doing well, they are still shocked by his death.
Dec 29 '17 16:15
Six people accused of rioting at the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam will be prosecuted for violent crimes, the Dutch public prosecutor’s office announced on Friday. Violence around the March 11 expulsion of a prominent Turkish politician came to a boiling point a few hours after it became clear she would not be allowed to speak at a rally in front of the consulate.
Dec 26 '17 15:40
Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb caused a social media uproar with an interview on NPO Radio 1 in which he said that "every Muslim is a bit of a salafist". PVV leader Geert Wilders called for Aboutaleb's resignation.
Dec 26 '17 10:56
A man was wounded in a shooting on Groepstraat in Rotterdam on Monday night, the police said on Twitter. This was the fifth shooting incident in Rotterdam over the past six days.
The shooting happened around 9:00 p.m. The victim was shot in the legs, according to the police. He was taken to hospital. Two suspects were arrested. The police are investigating their involvement in this incident.
Nov 7 '17 15:50
A total of 25 municipalities have signed up so far to take part in the Rutte III government's experiment with regulated cannabis cultivation, NOS reports. The government wants to start the experiment next year by letting eight to ten municipalities regulate the marijuana cultivation for their regions.
Nov 2 '17 10:50
Rotterdam plans to soon start growing its own "municipal weed", mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said on Wednesday. The Rotterdam mayor already spoke to new Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus about participating in the new government's regulated cannabis cultivation experiment. "I was one of the first mayors to talk to Minister of Justice Grapperhaus.
Sep 20 '17 08:49
Twelve year old Haci Nuh stole the show in his role as Mini-Minister of Finance when Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem delivered the suitcase with next year's budget to the Tweede Kamer on Tuesday. Shrouded in a suit and black sneakers, Haci from Rotterdam shadowed Dijsselbloem throughout the entire Budget Day. He was in the Ridderzaal for the King's speech, went on interviews with the Minister and to the Tweede Kamer to discuss te budget, the Telegraaf reports.
Sep 7 '17 16:00
Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb was well within his rights when he banned a demonstration against blackface Zwarte Piet in the city in November last year, the municipality's independent complaints committee ruled, RTV Rijnmond reports.
Aug 30 '17 12:10
The municipality of Rotterdam is taking extra measures to better protect the city against terrorist attacks, the city announced on Wednesday. One of these measures includes placing obstacles to prevent vehicles driving into parts of the city where many pedestrians gather. These extra measures are in line with the current threat level in the Netherlands. "There is currently no concrete information about an attack", the municipality emphasized, AD reports.
Aug 24 '17 10:40
The police arrested a 22-year-old man in Noord-Brabant during the early hours of Thursday morning in connection with a terrorist threat in Rotterdam on Wednesday evening. In a statement the police said a Special Interventions team entered the man's home around 2:00 a.m., arrested him and searched the home carefully.
Aug 24 '17 07:46
A concert by American band Allah-Las in the Maassilo in Rotterdam on Wednesday night, was canceled after the Spanish police tipped the Dutch authorities off about a potential terrorist threat. A few hundred meters from the Maassilo, the Rotterdam police pulled over a van with Spanish license plates and found gas bottles inside. The driver was arrested, RTL Nieuws reports.
Jun 27 '17 10:50
The Rotterdam coalition of Leefbaar Rotterdam, CDA and D66 no longer has the support of a majority of city councilors as councilor Mohammed Anfal switched from Leefbaar to Islam inspired party NIDA. Party leader Nourdin el Ouali announced the switch to NRC on Monday evening. The city council will discuss the consequences of the switch in an emergency debate on Thursday. Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb is meeting party leaders to talk about it today, according to AD.
May 22 '17 08:02
Turkish Minister Fatma Betul Kaya is dropping a lawsuit filed against the Netherlands, the Telgraaf reports based on information from a "highly placed" Turkish source. In the lawsuit she accused the Netherlands of illegally naming her an unwelcome foreigner and deporting her from the Netherlands in March.
May 19 '17 12:10
Police officers in Rotterdam were threatened by supporters of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb wrote to the city council. According to him, there were "several signs of threat and intimidation" and these were mostly directed at officers with a Turkish background, RTL Nieuws reports.
May 15 '17 11:19
Thousands of Feyenoord fans are gathered in Rotterdam to celebrate their team's victory in the Eredivisie. With about an hour to go before the team is set to appear to their fans, the police are already calling on people to stop coming to the city center - all locations are full. "Celebrate at home or elsewhere", the police said on Twitter.
The Coolsingel and surrounding areas can hold 140 thousand people in total.
May 15 '17 07:44
A total of 76 people were arrested in Rotterdam after Feyenoord beat Heracles Almelo 3-1 on Sunday and thereby became the national champions for the first time in 18 years. According to the police, there were "no major incidents'' during the celebrations. Feyenoord will be officially congratulated and honored in a ceremony on Coolsingel around noon on Monday.
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