More Cases of Genital Mutilation of Girls than Originally Thought

Until now it had been estimated that there were about 50-500 cases of genital mutilation of young girls in the Netherlands. A recent project of the Amsterdam health services indicates that the number is higher, even though no precise figures exist. www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article1911260.ece/_Vaker_meisjes_genitaal_verminkt_dan_gedacht_.html

Major Police Action against Robbers Using Italian Methods

The Amsterdam police have started a major action against youngsters on scooters in the center and eastern part of town which snatch the bags of women drivers. They stop next to a car standing at a traffic light, break a window and then steal the bag. The police action is focusing mainly on Moroccan looking youngsters on scooters, because almost all robberies are committed by them. (Ethnicity is mentioned regularly in the Netherlands in criminal cases.)www.parool.nl/parool/nl/7/Misdaad/article/detail/57921/2008/11/29/Felle-actie-tegen-jonge-rovers-op-scooters.dhtml

Rotterdam Soccer Fans Riot in Spain

During a UEFA cup game in La Coruña, fans of the Dutch team Feyenoord from Rotterdam broke seats and threw them around the stadium. The club had brought policemen with them from the Netherlands specifically to avoid such problems, but the police had great difficulty in controlling the riots. Feyenoord had been punished two years ago because of its fans’ riots in the stadium in Nancy in France.www.telegraaf.nl/telesport/voetbal/2667364/__Feyenoord-fans_misdragen_zich__.html?view=print

Soccer Player Punished after Hitler Salute

The second league soccer club Helmond Sport suspended its Belgian player Daniel Guijo-Velasco for one game after he made a Hitler salute in the middle of a league game in Roosendaal. After the game the player explained to a TV station why he thought his action was justified.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/sport/article1912144.ece/Schorsing_Guijo-Velasco_na_Hitlergroet.html

Parliament: No Free Entry for Romanians and Bulgarians for Three Years

A majority of Parliament wants to close the borders for Romanian and Bulgarian labor migrants for the next three years. Even though these countries are members of the EU, their citizens still need work permits. The government wanted to close the borders for only another six months. www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2645320/___Grens_voor_Roemenen_3_jaar_dicht___.html

Amsterdam Soccer Fans Riot in Hamburg Red Light District

Four hundred fifty supporters of the Amsterdam Ajax soccer club battled the police yesterday while blocking the Reeperbahn, the main street of the Hamburg red light district. Forty fans were arrested. On Wednesday thirty to forty Ajax supporters destroyed the furniture of a café in Hamburg. Thirteen fans were arrested.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/sport/article1910859.ece/Rellen_met_Ajax-fans_in_Hamburg.html

Member of Italian Mafia Arrested in Amsterdam. More in Hiding?

The Netherlands has again been used as a hiding place for top Mafiosi. Clan leader Giuseppe Nirta, of the ‘ndrangheta in the Calabria region, was arrested in Amsterdam, together with his family and private driver. Nicola Gratteri, of the Italian ministry of justice, says that Nirta could be arrested only due to Italian intelligence. Italian crime fighters have regularly complained about the negligence of Dutch police and justice department regarding Italian criminals.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2656343/__Maffia_dol_op_Nederland__.html

Minister: Wearing Burkas will be Forbidden at Universities

Under pressure from Parliament, Minister of Education Ronald Plasterk (Labor) has announced that burkas and nikabs will be forbidden on universities. He had announced earlier that they would be forbidden in elementary and high schools. The minister said that parents are also subject to this regulation. There are several hundred cases involved.www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article1099478.ece/Ook_boerkaverbod_in_hoger_onderwijs

German Police Afraid of Dutch Soccer Fans

Three thousand fans of the Ajax Amsterdam soccer team are expected in Hamburg for the game with the local team HSV. Police spokesman Ralf Meyer said that 700 of these fans are problematic and calling them “hooligans” is an understatement. The German police expect about 200 violent fans of the home team.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/sport/article1909665.ece/Duitse_politie_bevreesd_voor_supporters_Ajax.html

Detective Firms Break Rules of Privacy

According to Dutch law, private detective agencies must inform people that they have been investigated. However, it has been discovered that nine out of 19 firms which were investigated by the Committee for the Protection of Privacy Data, did not comply with the law.
www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article2067429.ece/Recherchebureaus_overtreden_privacyregels

Labor Party: Move Moroccan Hooligans out of Neighborhood

Labor Parliamentarian Jeroen Dijsselbloem has reported that a new document of the Labor Party states that the ghetto culture among Moroccan hooligans must be reduced, partly by forbidding them to enter certain neighborhoods. If they own scooters or cars, these should be taken from them. The party has not accepted the idea of its parliamentarian Hans Spekman who proposed humiliating the Moroccan ruffians.http://www.elsevier.nl/web/Nieuws/Politiek/PvdA-Relmarokkaan-verbannen-uit-wijk.htm?print=true

Liberal Party: Squatters Scene is Violent

The Amsterdam Liberal Party has published a black book on squatting. It details 24 examples of actions against the squatters. According to the report heavy violence, hindrance of neighbors and intimidation of home owners are not unusual. The report also mentions destruction by squatters and leaving behind booby traps for the police before they leave the buildings. The party wants legal prohibition of squatting.
http://www.parool.nl/parool/article/print/detail.do?language=nl&navigationItemId=6&componentId=50722&title=&navigation=

Toxicologist: No Scientific Basis to Prohibit Hallucinating Mushrooms

Toxicologist Freek de Wolff will be a witness on behalf of a commercial organization which opposes the prohibition of hallucinating mushrooms. De Wolff says that there are no long-lasting health effects from eating the mushrooms, as opposed to what is known about the use of alcohol. The decision of Minister of Health Ab Klink (Christian Democrats) to forbid the mushrooms has no scientific basis.
http://www.parool.nl/parool/article/print/detail.do?language=nl&navigationItemId=4&componentId=51382&title=&navigation=

Nieuwegein: Gypsy Integration Failed

In the last 30 years the authorities have invested at least 5 million Euro in the housing, welfare and education of Roma (Gypsies). Despite this unemployment, school absence and criminality among them have not decreased. (It is common in the Netherlands to mention ethnic origin in cases of criminality.)
http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2646470/__Integratie_Roma_mislukt_faliekant__.html?view=print

No Compensation for Indonesian Relatives after Dutch Mass Murder

The Netherlands will not pay compensation to relatives of those killed by the Dutch army in the mass murders in the Indonesian village of Rawagedeh in 1947. This is due to the statute of limitations. Ten relatives of the murdered had demanded such compensation.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2631970/__Geen_geld_familie_Rawagedeh__.html

Gouda: Molotov Cocktail Thrown Against Church

This past Saturday four Moroccan teenagers threw a Molotov cocktail at the Reform Church in the troubled town of Gouda, with the intention of burning down the church. They were arrested later that day. Recently Moroccan youngsters have caused many problems in another neighborhood of Gouda. (It is quite common in the Netherlands in such cases to mention the ethnic origins of criminals.)
http://www.elsevier.nl/web/10213096/Nieuws/Nederland/Marokkanen-gooien-brandbom-tegen-kerk-Gouda.htm

Second Municipality Wants to Grow Cannabis

After Eindhoven the town of Tilburg has also proposed establishing a cannabis nursery. This was announced by Mayor Ruud Vreeman. Whether this project will proceed will depend on getting permission from the government.
www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article1098075.ece/Ook_Tilburg_wil_proef_gereguleerde_hennepteelt

Police: Chamber of Commerce Deficient on Criminals

Ruud Bik, head of the national police services, has announced that about 75% of the 331 known Dutch criminal networks operate legal companies for their activities. Five hundred seventy-seven suspects are registered with the Chamber of Commerce, in connection with 1,500 companies. Bik said that the Chamber of Commerce is inadquate in checking the criminal background when it registers companies.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article1908508.ece/_KvK_moet_beter_letten_op_criminele_ondernemers_.html

Prosecutor Resigns due to Loss of Criminals’ Files

The head prosecutor of the Amsterdam regional court has resigned his position because his staff lost the file of two suspects who had been accused of an armed attack at an Amsterdam discotheque. They had earlier been condemned to four and five years in prison, respectively by the lower court. However, since the files were lost the higher court released them.
http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2565575/__Aanklager_weg_om_zoek_dossier__.html

Coalition Parties Divided on Municipal Cannabis Nursery

The Christian Democrats and Christian Union government parties oppose the experiment proposed by municipalities to have the town of Eindhoven start its own cannabis nursery. The third coalition partner, Labor, says that, since 30 mayors of different political affiliation support the experiment, this should be taken into consideration. The municipalities had also proposed that only Dutchmen could buy soft drugs in “coffee shops.” Christian Democrat parliamentarian Cisco Joldersma says that it is legally unclear whether access to foreigners can be forbidden.
www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article2070129.ece/Coalitie_verdeeld_over_experiment_wietteelt

Parliament Wants to Stop Child Allowances in Cases of Polygamy

A majority in parliament is supporting a proposal of the Liberal Party to cancel payment of child allowances to polygamous parents. Polygamy is illegal in the Netherlands but various municipalities register additional marriages of people who are already married. It is unknown how many such marriages are registered in all the Netherlands but in Amsterdam the most recent figure is 173.www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article1904199.ece/Kamer_wil_kinderbijslag_stopzetten_bij_polygamie.html

Government to Discuss Radicalization of Animal Rights Activists

The government will soon discuss the radicalization of animal rights activists. Minister of Justice Ernst Hirsch Ballin (Christian Democrats) said that last month such activists set afire two cars of a former chairman of the Stock Exchange, because shares of companies which undertake animal experiments are traded on the Exchange. Earlier this year Lifescience, the company which carries out animal experiments, cancelled the construction of a new building after its directors’ homes were defaced with paint by activitists.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article1905949.ece/Overleg_over_verharding_dierenactivisme.html

Leading British Criminals see Amsterdam as Haven

Six hard-core English criminals (one suspected of murder) have been arrested over the last three months in Amsterdam. The Dutch police suspect that there could be several tens of British criminals in hiding around the city. A special team has been set up by the Dutch police together with English one. One of those arrested had been on the Most Wanted list in Liverpool since 2002.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article1907413.ece/Engelse_criminelen_zien_Amsterdam_als_schuilplaats.html

Brothel Owners: Unfair Competition by Hotels

VER, the association which groups brothel owners, sex clubs, etc., claims that illegal prostitution is taking place in 69 hotels of 13 chains, which together own 273 hotels. The VER is protesting because while hotels are filling up with prostitutes, the number of official sex businesses with permits has declined from 1,300 in 1999 to 500 today. The prostitutes’ flight to the hotels is the result of the controls of the police and fiscal authorities. Some hotel managements have already entered into long-term rental agreements with sex operators or prostitutes.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2622181/__Hotels_worden_bordeel__.html

Dutch Town Wants to Operate Cannabis Nursery

Rob van Gijzel, Mayor of Eindhoven, has said that his municipality wants to start a cannabis nursery in order to supply soft drugs to the local “coffee shops.” He intends to bring this proposal before the government. Van Gijzel announced this at the so-called “cannabis summit” where representatives of 33 municipalities met to discuss soft drug policies. Van Gijzel’s proposal was supported by his colleagues.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2610475/__Eindhoven_gaat_zelf_wiet_kweken__.html

Medical Doctors take Minister to Court

The National Association of General Practitioners (LHV) is suing the Minister of Health Ab Klink (Christian Democrats). They claim that the minister broke an agreement not to cut the budget for general practitioners’ care.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article1907329.ece/Huisartsen_slepen_Klink_voor_de_rechter.html

Volendam: Soccer Supporters Fight, 5 Policemen Wounded

In Volendam a fight broke out yesterday between tens of supporters of the local first league soccer team and the visiting club Roda JC. The police intervened with fifty policemen and also used dogs. Five policemen were lightly wounded, four supporters were arrested.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article1907523.ece/Agenten_gewond_bij_vechtpartij_supporters_Volendam.html

Union of Cannabis Retailers: Don’t Close ‘Coffeeshops’

Michael Veling spokesman of the Union of Cannabis Retailers has protested against the Amsterdam municipality’s intention to close 43 ‘coffeeshops’ (the Dutch name for tolerated sellers of soft drugs). Veling said that these shops, which are located close to schools, are careful not to sell drugs to pupils.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2600141/___Sluiting_coffeeshops_onnodig___.html

Media People Want to Call Moroccans to Order

A group of media personalities, led by television producer Prem Radhakishun, has issued a call for action to all Dutchmen, in particular those with a Moroccan background. The group, which consists mainly of Dutchmen with Moroccan roots, says that many Moroccan youngsters do not behave like either Moroccans or Muslims, but as animals. Their intimidating behavior, accompanied by violence, causes unrest in society. Radhakishun has been threatened several times by non-Western immigrants. www.spitsnieuws.nl/archives/binnenland/2008/11/ingezonden_brief_prem_radhakis.html

Half a Million Euro Spent to Help One Person Find Work

The Dutch think tank CSI has found that if one analyzes the amount of money spent to help the unemployed find work, municipalities have laid out more than half a million Euro per person for those who have found work through their services.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2588233/__Half_miljoen_euro_per_bemiddelde_werkloze__.html

Inspectorate: Train Passengers in Daily Danger

The Inspectorate of Traffic has announced that train drivers regularly depart from stations without taking safety precautions. This means that train passengers are risking their lives daily. The actual procedures for drivers carry many risks. A few days ago, two full passenger trains stopped five meters from each other on the same track. The Inspectorate has analyzed 30 incidents between 2003 and 2007. Minister of Transport Camille Eurlings (Christian Democrats) has sent the findings of this report to Parliament. www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2534629/__Treinpassagiers_in_levensgevaar__.html?p=2,1

New Data: Major Theft of Jewish Real Estate in Second World War

During the Second World War real estate brokers acting in bad faith earned a lot of money by selling property belonging to Jews. Approximately 20,000 buildings belonging to Jews were taken over by these brokers who sold at least nine thousand of them. These are the findings of the historian Eric Slot. In 1997 a government commission had found that there was no proof that post-war restitution concerning Jewish real estate had been inaccurate. Slots findings show that the commissions conclusions were wrong. www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article2066383.ece/Makelaars_verdienden_aan_Joodse_panden_in_oorlog

Conflict in Government on Index of Problematic Youngsters

Arie Slob, chairman of the parliamentary faction of the Christian Union, the smallest coalition partner, said that he assumes that ethnic background will not be mentioned in a general index of problematic youngsters. The Labor Party, however, wants ethnic background to be mentioned. The disagreement on this was one of the reasons that minister of integration Ella Vogelaar was asked to resign last week.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/politiek/article1904306.ece/Registratie_Antillianen_splijtzwam_.html

Police Union Says Great Shortage of Policemen

The police union NPB wants Parliament to intervene in the government’s police policy. The union says that in August and September, in 11 of the 25 police regions, there was a shortage of 1,370 policemen for the basic services the police should provide. There are regions where, for 150,000 residents in a territory twice the size of Amsterdam, there are only two police cars on the street at night. www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article1094885.ece/Politiebond_wil_ingrijpen_kabinet_voor_onderbezetting

Vice-President of Aircraft Company: Dutch Defense Ministry Lying

Bob Kemp, senior vice-president of the Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab Gripen International, has said that Deputy Minister of Defense Jack de Vries (Christian Democrat) has sent information to Parliament which contains “clear lies”. The deputy minister wrote that Saab has no simulator to test its new type of aircraft. This is untrue, said Kemp, whose company is the only one in competition with Lockheed Martin which is producing the American JSF plane. The Dutch government is now in the process of deciding which plane to purchase. Kemp said that this is the second time the deputy minister has given false information. Last time De Vries apologized.
www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article1094940.ece/Defensie_liegt_weer_over_JSF-concurrent

Mental Patients Often Bound Unnecessarily

Elderly patients suffering from dementia and those with mental handicaps are often kept bound in care institutions. That is the conclusion of the Inspectorate of Health after its inspectors visited 86 institutions. Last year seven people died due to this practice.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article1903962.ece/Patient_vaak_onnodig_vastgebonden.html

Prime Minister of Antilles: We Will Not Accept Dutch Discrimination

Emily de Jongh-Elhage, Prime Minister of the Dutch Antilles, says that the Dutch decision to renew the investigation on the establishment of a data bank of Antillean criminals in the Netherlands, is unacceptable. She said that she had agreed with the Dutch Minister of Integration Ella Vogelaar (Labor) that the data bank would include all criminals. The agreement led to the Labor Party forcing Vogelaar to resign. De Jongh-Elhage said that the data bank as conceived originally was discriminatory and stigmatizing which is not only unacceptable to the Antilles, but to the world as large.
www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article1094499.ece/Antillen_woedend_op_PvdA_na_val_Vogelaar

Former Minister Criticizes her Party Leadership

Ella Vogelaar Minister of Integration (Labor), who was forced to resign last week by the leaders of her party, has criticized them, saying that they do not understand the anger of the immigrants about their second rate status in the country. Because of their fear of being considered soft, these politicians hamper the integration of the immigrants. Vogelaar said that the leaders of the Labor Party lack vision about an ethnically diverse society.
www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article1094483.ece/Vogelaar__Tobberig_verhaal_Bos_over_integratie

Attorney-General’s Office again Fails to Destroy Tapped Conversation

Once again the Attorney-General’s office has failed to destroy recordings of conversations of suspects and their lawyers. The Amsterdam Court of Justice criticized the office for having put recordings of 200 conversations which, according to the law, should have been destroyed, into the files of the suspects.
www.parool.nl/parool/nl/224/Binnenland/article/detail/43645/2008/11/17/OM-struikelt-over-geheime-gesprekken.dhtml

Foundation Calls on Senate to Rule against Sex with Animals

The Foundation against violence against Animals has asked the Senate to approve the proposed law forbidding sex with animals. The lower chamber accepted the law as proposed by Parliamentarian Waalkens (Labor) many months ago but there has been no further progress in the Senate. Henk ten Napel, chairman of the Foundation, says that neighboring countries have such laws and that the fact the Netherlands doesn’t might explain why the country is the leading producer of animal porno.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2531308/__Navraag_over_seks_met_dieren__.html

Dutch Resistance Threatened to Murder Queen Mother’s Secretary

Historian Cees Fasseur has published a book on the married life of the late Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard, parents of the present queen Beatrix. Fasseur writes that when Juliana consulted with Greet Hofmans, a spiritual healer, in the 1950s, the Dutch Resistance threatened to murder the healer and the queen’s private secretary Walraven van Heeckeren who supported her. Fasseur says that he does not know whether Bernhard, who was close to the Resistance, knew about the threats or perhaps even initiated them.
www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article2056881.ece/Verzet_dreigde_Greet_Hofmans_te_liquideren

Government Withdraws Minister’s Letter

The Dutch Government has withdrawn a letter from Minister of Integration Ella Vogelaar (Labor) in which she wrote that the planned databank of Antillean problem youth in The Netherlands will be cancelled. After this letter Vogelaar’s party forced her to resign. The government will now examine the situation anew. A parliamentary majority supports the databank as do a variety of towns which are suffering from crime and hooliganism.

www.parool.nl/parool/nl/224/Binnenland/article/detail/43196/2008/11/15/Databank-Antillenjongeren-gaat-door.dhtml

No Free Entrance for Bulgarians and Rumanians

The Dutch Government will not allow workers from the most recent EU entrants -- Bulgaria and Rumania -- to come to the Netherlands without work permits. The government had originally intended to cancel this requirement as of 1 January 2009. The Labor party says that first the work conditions and housing of the Polish workers must be improved.

www.trouw.nl/nieuws/politiek/article1902203.ece/Grenzen_dicht_voor_Roemenen_en_Bulgaren.html

Kerkrade: Nineteen Soccer Fans Arrested

During riots on Saturday night 19 fans of the visiting Fortuna soccer club were arrested in Kerkrade. Their team had played against Roda JC, the local club. Both teams play in the second league. www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2522483/__Politie_Limburg_waakzaam_na_rellen__.html?view=print

Criminality among Elderly Increases

The Ministry of Justice has noticed a great increase in the number and severity of crimes committed by the elderly. Kiki Plugge, the prosecutor in The Hague, says that as the elderly still participate in society, it is logical to hold them responsible for their deeds. She also says that it is wrong to consider older criminals as helpless. The Ministry of Justice is carrying out a study on the feasibility of separate legislation for the elderly.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2478030/__Bejaarden_steeds_crimineler__.html

Liberal Party: Netherlands has too many Embassies

A study of the Elsevier weekly shows that the Netherlands has 112 embassies abroad, whereas the average of countries such as Canada, Spain and Australia is 89. In addition, the Netherlands has 19 representations at international organizations. Liberal parliamentarian Hans van Baalen intends to raise this issue at the next budget discussion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He says that several embassies can be closed and others, which deal mainly with development aid, should be paid for by the Ministry for Development Cooperation. www.elsevier.nl/web/10211337/Nieuws/Nederland/Onderzoek-Elsevier-Veel-ambassades-kunnen-dicht.htm

Controversial Muslim Philosopher Speaks at Conference of Ministry

The controversial Muslim philosopher Tariq Ramadan is to be one of the speakers at a major conference on human rights organized in The Hague by the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ramadan has been declared persona non grata in the United States since 2006, due to his involvement with two organizations which are suspected of financing the Palestinian terror organization Hamas. www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2465088/__Omstreden_filosoof_op_conferentie_BZ__.html

Parliamentary Debate on Toddlers’ March

Parliament will discuss the disturbances during the March of Lanterns for toddlers in The Hague. Eggs were thrown at the children by a group of 20 Moroccan youngsters. (it is common in The Netherlands to mention the ethnicity of hooligans). Parliamentarian Sietse Fritsma ( PVV) initiated this debate. www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article1898713.ece/Debat_over_verstoorde_lampionnenoptocht.html

Fraud with Government Money on Islamic Schools

In 86% of the Islamic schools fraud with Government money has been discovered. Among 46 other schools investigated only one cause of fraud was found. These are the findings of a report by the Education Inspectorate which was presented to Parliament by the two deputy ministers of Education, Sharon Dijksma (Labor) and Marja van Bijsterveldt (Christian Democrat). The report also found “poor” or “very poor” teaching at close to half of the Islamic schools. This compares with about ten percent fro non-Islamic schools.
www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article2059350.ece/Fraude_met_rijksgeld_op_islamitische_scholen

Minister of Integration Resigns after Losing Party’s Confidence

Minister of Integration Ella Vogelaar (Labor) has handed in her resignation. The Labor party’s leadership said that she no longer had their confidence, after prolonged criticism of her functioning. The minister announced a few days ago that she intended to cancel the projected databank of criminal Antilleans. This finally led to the party’s decision. Vogelaar claims that her party is too tough on integration issues.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/politiek/article1900657.ece/PvdA_laat_Ella_Vogelaar_vallen_.html