Criminal Judges Have Poor Relations with Their Bosses

Rinus Otte, a Judge who will next week inaugurate his professorship in the organization of justice has just published a book: The New Clothes of the Judge. He claims that judges increasingly show unprofessional behavior, in particular when appointments are made. This expresses itself in email campaigns, anonymous letters and gossip. The courts are poorly organized and the relationship between judges and their colleagues who administer courts are getting worse. Otte says that it is virtually impossible to remove poorly functioning judges and that this has to be remedied. He considers the situation one of stagnation and decay.

www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article2642749.ece/Raadsheer_verstoorde_werksfeer_strafrechters

Increase in Coma Drinking

More and more children in the Netherlands under the age of 16 are brought to the emergency ward of hospitals due to alcohol poisoning, also called “Coma Drinking.” In 2007, child specialists saw 297 cases of Coma Drinking. In 2009, this had increased to 500 and there is a further increase in the first half of 2010. Researcher Joris van Hoof says that four out of five children of 15 years of age can get alcoholic drinks without any problems. Earlier research has shown that 97% of sports facilities sell alcoholic drinks to young children. In 38% of the hospital cases, the parents were present when the child got drunk.

www.spitsnieuws.nl/archives/binnenland/2010/11/comazuipen_16min_neemt_toe.html

Labor Party Leader Demanded the Firing of Volkskrant Columnist

Volkskrant Columnist Bert Wagendorp has said that in 2007, then Labor Party Leader Wouter Bos called up the paper’s editor-in-chief Pieter Broertjes asking to fire him. He added that Bos said that Wagendorp’s articles made his party lose voters. Broertjes refused the demand.

www.spitsnieuws.nl/archives/binnenland/2010/11/wouter_bos_wilde_ontslag_voor.html

Tensions Among Amsterdam Judges after Dismissal of Court

There is major tension among Amsterdam judges after some of them dismissed last month the court in the process against Freedom Party Leader Geert Wilders. One Amsterdam judge said: “It is very sensitive if one judge says about the other that he is biased.” More and more judges are ashamed of their profession. Some judges are quoted as saying that when they go to parties, they do not mention their profession.

www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article2639405.ece/Rechters_verdeeld_na_wraking_Wilders

Police Want Security for Future Mission in Afghanistan

Han Busker Chairman of the Nederlandse Politiebond, the largest Dutch police trade union has said that it is opposed to sending police staff to Afghanistan to train local police. He considers that the situation there is not safe, which is a pre-condition for the police work. In order to send 50 police trainers, 250-300 soldiers have to be sent to protect them. He added: “We prefer to remain home.”

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/8103912/__Politie_blijft_liever_thuis__.html

Mayor: Police Knew That Computer System was Poor, But Did Nothing

Henry Lenferink, Mayor of Leiden, and Supervisor of the Police in Central Netherlands has said that the police had a report that the new police computer system would perform poorly. He added that the police commissioners and chief must have known about the report which said that the system was of low quality and difficult to maintain.

www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article3296368.ece/_Rapport_computersysteem_politie_bleef_in_la_.html

Gouda: Moroccan Youngsters Terrorize Neighborhood Again

Once again, the Oosterwei neighborhood in Gouda is terrorized by Moroccan youngsters. Inhabitants are attacked, robbed and verbally abused. Stones and eggs are thrown at them. There are also attempts at arson and stones are thrown through windows. This was said by the head of the neighborhood committee in Gouda East, the neighborhood where a bus driver of the Connexion company was beaten up two years ago. He added that the new group of hooligans is between eight and thirteen years old. Complaints at the municipality have no visible follow-up.

www.elsevier.nl/web/Nieuws/Nederland/280472/Jongeren-terroriseren-opnieuw-Goudse-wijk-Oosterwei.htm

Military Police Arrest Soldiers Suspected of Manslaughter

The Royal Military Police has arrested two soldiers who are suspected of manslaughter. It is alleged that they beat up a 20 year old man so that he lost consciousness and had to be transported to the hospital. This happened in the town of Scheemda in the province of Groningen.

www.rtl.nl/(/actueel/rtlnieuws/binnenland/)/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/2010/11_november/12/binnenland/militairen-opgepakt-na-vechtpartij.xml

Scientific Journalist: Meteorological Institute’s Climate Scenarios Worthless

Marcel Crok, a scientific journalist says that the climate scenarios of the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute (KNMI) are worthless. On these scenarios the national water engineering service, dam builders and environmental officials base their forecasts. Crok says so in his new book which the title translates as “The Status of the Climate A Cold View on a Heated Debate.” Crok said that he had spoken with scientists all over the world and found among them more doubt and discussion about global warming and carbon dioxide emissions than the U.N. Climate Panel (IPCC) wants people to believe. Crok said that the scenarios used give a false feeling of certainty.

www.elsevier.nl/web/Nieuws/Wetenschap/281339/Klimaattoekomstscenarios-KNMI-zijn-onbetrouwbaar.htm

European Commission Criticizes the Netherlands

The president of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso has criticized the Netherlands and some other member states claiming that they did not behave according to the ‘spirit of Europe.’ The commission criticized the Dutch role in the failed negotiations about the EU budget for 2011. Barroso said that a small number of member states who prevented a compromise on this issue thought they had won a victory. They however damaged many people in all of Europe.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2800/Europese-Unie/article/detail/1052878/2010/11/16/Europese-Commissie-boos-op-Nederland.dhtml

Squatters Throw Fireworks in Amsterdam Municipality

A group of fifty squatters has held a noisy demonstration in the Amsterdam municipality. According to a spokesman of the municipality, fireworks were set off in the building. The special police unit was called in to guard the municipality. The spokesman added that no one was arrested and that the squatters left the building of their own volition.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/8166592/__Krakersrellen_in_stadhuis_Amsterdam__.html

Parliamentary Majority: Stop Police Computer Project

A majority of parliamentarians from the Liberal Party (VVD) Labor (PvdA) and Socialist Party (SP) has asked Security and Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten (VVD) to immediately stop the development of the police computer system which is used by the police inter-alia to deal with complaints. The system has cost hundreds of millions of Euros. VVD Parliamentarian Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert says that the data are lost, policemen are frustrated, and it can easily be hacked. She added: “To let this situation last will cost society many more millions. These problems can no longer be negated and I advise the minister to stop the system immediately.”

www.elsevier.nl/web/Nieuws/Nederland/280988/Miljoenen-euros-verspild-aan-politieinformatiesysteem.htm

Parliamentarian Condemned in Past for Sexual Abuse

It has become known that Parliamentarian Eric Lucassen of the Freedom Party, had been condemned about ten years ago for sexual abuse of pupils at the military school in Ermelo. Jan den Boer who was the humanist spiritual adviser of the barracks says that one officer and ten non-commanding officers were condemned because of sexual acts with female pupils. Lucassen was one of them. The military police at the time said that they had to cut the investigation short, otherwise it would take ten years. The pupils were subjected to heavy intimidation by the staff. They were told that if they did not remain silent about what went on, they would not pass their exams. Den Boer said that the barracks got the nickname Spermelo.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/1050846/2010/11/13/Zaak-Lucassen-Meisjes-werden-doorgegeven.dhtml

Security of Cargo Department at Amsterdam Airport is Faulty

An undercover journalist of the weekly HP/De Tijd, has for two and a half weeks walked around freely with a temporary pass at the cargo department of Schiphol Amsterdam airport. He had unhindered access to cargo on freight planes. Earlier, another journalist, Alberto Stegeman of the television program Undercover managed to penetrate twice into secure areas of the airport. He also entered the hangar in which the government’s official plane is stationed.

www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article3279662.ece/_Beveiliging_Schiphol_Cargo_lek_.htmlNovember 8, 2010

Many Homosexuals in Asylum Centers Maltreated by Muslims

The Secret Garden organization says that every year tens of homosexuals in asylum centers are physically maltreated by Muslims. The organization has received in the last year and a half, 158 complaints from homosexual and lesbian asylum seekers, mainly from Muslim countries. In the Dutch asylum center, they are often together with people from their own country who look down upon them. This often leads to physical attacks. The organization says that in the Dutch asylum centers, they are confronted with the same insecurity they had hoped to escape.

http://www.pzc.nl/nieuws/algemeen/binnenland/7509295/

Minister: Army Lacks Ammunition

In a letter from Minister of Defense Hans Hillen to Parliament, he states that the army lacks ammunition. Therefore, in 2011, not all planned exercises can be held. There is also a shortage of spare parts. The munitions shortages derive from the former Dutch presence in Afghanistan, lack of money and long times of supply. This leads to a decline of professionalism of several units.
It is not certain that at the end of 2011, the armored car – infantry units will still be fully operational. The Ministry has to make further cuts in its budget in the next and following year.

www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article3282001.ece/Defensie_kampt_met_munitietekort_.html

Most Dutch Army Air Force F-16 Planes Unfit to Fly

According to the military trade union, ACOM, two-thirds of the 87 F-16 planes are grounded because they are in need of maintenance. Chairman Jan Kleian of ACOM said that in order to keep the remainder flying, parts are taken out from the grounded planes to carry out repairs of the remaining flying planes. He forecasts that ultimately there will only remain skeleton planes in the hangars. He added that three years ago, there were still 45 planes which were able to fly.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/8105241/__Nederlandse_F16_s_vleugellam__.html

Tens of Victims of Sexual Abuse by Catholic Priests Demonstrate

Tens of victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests have held a demonstration through the town of Kerkrade. The march ended at the former boarding school of the Holy Mary of the Angels, which was operated by the Franciscans. According to the action group, Mea Culpa, 18 priests of this school were guilty of sexual abuse of pupils. The lawyer, Bob van der Goen, said that he has 58 testimonials from victims. He also added that he had written a letter to the Pope demanding that he abdicates. The Belgian priest, Rik Devillé accused the Pope of trying to silence worldwide the sex abuse scandal. During the march, participants exchanged experiences with sex abuse victims from other Catholic institutions, including women who claim to have been abused by nuns.

www.nu.nl/binnenland/2365499/demonstratie-misbruikslachtoffers-in-kerkrade.html

Turkey: Dutch Prime Minister’s Statement is Discriminating

The Turkish government considers the remarks made by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte about Turkish passports discriminatory. In the debate about the double nationality of the new Dutch Deputy Minister of Health, Marlies Veldhuijzen van Zanten, Rutte said “it would have been very different if she had had a Turkish passport next to her Dutch one rather than a Swedish one.” Turkish Minister Faruk Çelik said that he did
not understand how such a discriminatory remark helps the integration of foreigners in the Netherlands. He added that he is worried about the growing xenophobia and Islamophobia in the Netherlands.

www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article3273930.ece/_Turkije_vindt_dat_Rutte_discrimineert
_.html

Well Educated Turks and Moroccans Want to Leave the Netherlands

The platform of minorities in the province of Limburg has stated that increasingly highly educated Turks and Moroccans want to leave the Netherlands. They say that this is not only related with the rise of the Freedom Party (PVV), but also with the more general negative political climate. Therefore Turks and Moroccans feel less and less at home in the Netherlands. That is also true for those who already live there a long time.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/8036806/___Hoogopgeleide_allochtonen_weg___.html?sn=binnenland

Freedom Party: Dismiss Governor of Central Bank

Parliamentarian Van Vliet of the Freedom Party (PVV) wants the president of the Dutch Central Bank Nout Wellink to leave his position immediately. The Party considers the president
responsible for the bankruptcy of the DSB Bank. According to Van Vliet, people who lost their money can hold Wellink personally responsible for this.

www.fd.nl/artikel/20597456/pvv-eist-onmiddellijk-vertrek-wellink

Amsterdam Labor Party attacks its own Mayor

The Amsterdam Labor Party is criticizing the new Labor Mayor of the town, Eberhard van der Laan. Frank de Wolf, the Chairman of the Labor Faction in the Municipal council said that the Mayor was too weak and passive on security matters. He added that the number of violent incidents in the Western parts of Amsterdam “is far too high.” It seems a ruin there. There are far too many people shooting and knifing each other. He added that Amsterdam should spend more money on the police.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/8052861/__PvdA_keert_zich_tegen__eigen__burgemeester__.html?sn=binnenland