Parties demand Government clarify Dutch Position on Drone Attacks

Two opposition parties, the Liberal Democrats (D66) and the extreme left Socialist Party (SP) have asked the Dutch cabinet to clarify the role of the Netherlands concerning American drone attacks.  The reason for this is a court case brought by two Somalian victims of drone attacks against the Dutch state.  The two Somalians consider that the Netherlands are partly responsible for a drone attack, as Dutch information plays an important role in American anti-terror acts in Somalia.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/d66-en-sp-geef-duidelijkheid-over-rol-nederland-bij-drone-aanvallen~a4197897/

New Deputy Minister defines New Problems in Rail Infrastructure

New deputy Minister Sharon Dijksma (Labour) has found new problems in the ProRail infrastructure company, which receives an annual subsidy of about 1.2 million Euro from the government.  She says that the company is unable to control costs of big projects such as station renovations.  The construction of new tracks at the Utrecht Central station will go 80 million Euro over budget. Ongoing maintenance of railways is delayed on a regular basis.  This year between 100 and 160 million Euro was budgeted for this purpose and was not used.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/dijksma-prorail-doet-niets-met-geld-voor-onderhoud-spoor~a4196397/

Major Disturbances by Ajax Fans in Glasgow

Ajax fans are thought to have caused major assaults in Glasgow on Thursday before their team played against the local Celtic team. Seven people were injured after a large group of men targeted pubs used by Celtic fans. Two of those hurt remain in a serious but stable condition in hospital. Police said that the attackers were dressed in black with hoods and scarves covering their faces.

www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-34941446

Manchester: Dutch Soccer supporters sing anti-Semitic Chants

A large group of supporters of the Dutch PSV soccer club who arrived in Manchester have been caught on camera chanting "if you don't jump you're a Jew". They visited the city as their club was playing Manchester United. The chant refers to another Dutch soccer club Ajax, which has some supporters who call themselves Jews. It is often considered anti-Semitic in the Netherlands.

www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/psv-eindhoven-fans-caught-camera-6900227

Forty Suspects of Jihad Walking free in The Netherlands

Forty suspects of Jihad walk free in the Netherlands. They include inciters, people who finance jihad, people waiting for their process and those under supervision of the probation authority. This was said by Sjef van Gennip director of Reclassering Nederland (Probation Netherlands). He said that it concerns an isolated group which often has only contact with probation workers.  

http://www.telegraaf.nl/feed/24789315/__40__jihadisten__op_vrije_voeten__.html

Amsterdam Airport Offers Incentives to Competitors of KLM

The Dutch political system wishes to promote the Dutch airline KLM, but Amsterdam Airport is giving reductions to companies from the Middle East which are competing with KLM.  With each new long-distance destination, companies can receive two years of financial incentives.  Steven Verhagen, chairman of the Pilots Union VNV says that these incentives are opposed to the Dutch political objective whereby Amsterdam Airport is required to make an effort to strengthen KLM.  He added that they weaken the position of their largest and most loyal client on which they depend for revenue.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/economie/schiphol-lokt-concurrenten-van-klm-met-kortingen~a4192627/

Parliament Unable To Judge What Aid For Developing Countries Has Achieved

An investigation by the BOR, an office of officials working for the parliament, has concluded that it is impossible to judge what Dutch aid for developing countries has achieved.  4.1 billion Euro are being spent each year to help the poorest in the world.  The government general accounting office had reached the same conclusion earlier.  The responsible Minister, Ploumen, says that the Dutch development aid package has improved the food situation for about 8 million people.  Labor parliamentarian Roelof says that his party is proud of the results, as 800 million condoms have been distributed, which have prevented many undesired pregnancies.

www.volkskrant.nl/politiek/kamer-zoekt-vergeefs-naar-resultaat-ontwikkelingshulp~a4192641/

Netherlands doesn’t want to receive American Congress delegation

A delegation of the American Congress has asked to visit The Netherlands for a dialogue, but have not received a positive answer.  Insiders say that Minister Koenders of Foreign Affairs (Labor Party) is not interested in the visit.  The reason appears to be that he considers it too expensive and the employees of his ministry feel it will involve too much work.  The Americans want to come because The Netherlands will be chairing the EU during the first half of 2016.   Mario Diaz-Balart, the leader of the intended Congress delegation, said this is a slap in the face for Congress.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/buitenland/nederland-gooit-deur-dicht-voor-amerikaanse-delegatie~a4192660/

New Research: Amsterdam extremely harsh in punishing Jews after the war

A new study of the NIOD, the National Institute for War Documentation, has found that the Amsterdam municipality was unnecessarily harsh toward Jewish home-owners who had survived the war and because of deportation or going into hiding had not paid their long-lease payments to the Amsterdam municipality during the war.  They had to pay fines.  This was not the case in The Hague, for instance.  The NIOD researchers state that Amsterdam had sufficient legal cause to forgo the fines.  Recently the mayor of Amsterdam announced that the fines will be returned, albeit 70 years later.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/amsterdam-onnodig-hard-met-boetes-joden-na-oorlog~a4190770/

Mainly Muslims disturb Minute of Silence for Paris Victims

Fleur Nollet of the Foundation for School and Safety has said that mainly Muslim pupils, as well as some others, have disturbed the minute of silence for the victims of the Paris attacks in a number of schools. At one school a boy shouted Allahu Akbar. She expressed her worry about the fact that various youngsters say that the Jews and Americans are behind the attacks in Paris. Nollet said that they pick this up from Youtube and conspiracy theories they hear of. Nollet also said that rightwing extremists among the pupils say that Muslims should leave the Netherlands.

http://www.refdag.nl/nieuws/binnenland/veelal_islamitische_scholieren_verstoren_minuut_stilte_om_parijs_1_954553

Liberal Leader shocked about Muslim Reactions to Paris Murders

Halbe Zijlstra, faction leader of the VVD (the Liberal party) in the Dutch Parliament has said that he is shocked about what he hears in his own environment about scandalous reactions from Muslims to the Paris murders. He mentioned school children who are happy that the ’jihad has come to Europe’ and that ‘it will be their turn soon.’ He also mentioned Muslim children who disturbed the one minute silence. Zijlstra called on Muslims to distance themselves strongly from this pro-terror attitude.  

http://www.elsevier.nl/Nederland/nieuws/2015/11/Zijlstra-geschokt-door-reacties-2721274W/

At least 1500 additional police needed to fight terror

Gerrit van de Kamp, head of the police trade union (ACP) says that at present the Dutch police cannot cope effectively with terror.  He added that at least another 1500 policemen are needed, of which 500-600 are required in support functions, such as detective services.  After the murderous Paris attacks in January, Van de Kamp requested more heavy weaponry for the police, but was turned down by the government.  He said policemen wanted to be sure they could defend themselves.  He also said that policemen should be allowed to take their weapons home.

http://fd.nl/ondernemen/1127934/acuut-1500-extra-agenten-nodig-tegen-terreur-zegt-politiebond-acp

Wilders: Islam is a hostile Ideology not fitting Western Civilizatio

In an interview with the daily De Telegraaf Geert Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party (PVV) says that Islam is a hostile ideology, which does not fit Western civilization. He added that almost all terrorists are Muslims and all immigration from Muslim countries should be stopped. Wilders wants to close the Dutch borders and leave the Schengen agreement   

http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/24746582/___Bijna_elke_terrorist_is_moslim___.html

  

Police called in frequently to intervene in fights between asylum seekers

The Dutch police are called in five to ten times a day to intervene in incidents in and around centers for asylum seekers, mainly minor fights between young inhabitants, frequently between Syrians and Eritreans. The fights often concern girls or alcohol. This was reported by Commander Max Daniel of the National Police.  He also said that the situation is under control.

http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/36281/Vluchtelingenstroom-West-Europa/article/detail/4188437/2015/11/17/Politie-moet-vaak-uitrukken-naar-asielzoekerscentra.dhtml

Seventy percent of Dutch citizens want border controls

Seventy percent of the Dutch want the reintroduction of border controls, both in The Netherlands and in Europe.  Among the voters of Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party the percentage is 99%.  Majorities support this measure in all the other parties, with the exception of the Liberal Democrats of D66.  Over a quarter of Dutch citizens feel that The Netherlands should call a state of emergency.  These were the findings of a poll conducted by Maurice de Hond after the Paris massacres.

http://www.spitsnieuws.nl/binnenland/2015/11/nederlanders-willen-grenscontroles

Arson at mosque in Roosendaal

There was an arson attack at a mosque in Roosendaal on Saturday morning.  The mosque was slightly damaged.  It is unclear whether the arson was related to the Paris massacre perpetrated by Islamic State on Friday night.  The mosque is now under surveillance by volunteers and CCTV cameras 24 hours a day

.

http://www.omroepbrabant.nl/?news/239560852/Permanent+toezicht+bij+moskee+Roosendaal+na+poging+brandstichting.aspx

Routine violence in youth institutions

The public De Winter commission has found in its preliminary work that there are a huge number of incidents of maltreatment in institutions for youth.  The commission has so far heard stories about humiliation, neglect and physical violence.  This was said by chairman Micha de Winter to the RTV Utrecht media.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/commissie-beeld-van-structurele-mishandeling-in-jeugdzorg~a4179617/

National detective agency: arrested man killed due to police violence

A report prepared by the national detective agency on the death of Mitch Henriquez, who was arrested in a demonstration in June, concludes that the extreme maltreatment by the police who arrested him led to his death.  This was stated in the talk show “Pauw” by the lawyer Gerald Roethof, who saw the report which had been sent to the official prosecutor’s office.

http://nos.nl/artikel/2067384-mitch-henriquez-gigantisch-mishandeld-door-agenten.html

Court decision: Dutch intelligence service abandoned agent to his fate

The court in The Hague has decided that the Justice Department has neglected its obligations toward businessman Ibrahim A.  He worked in Afghanistan as an agent for the Dutch military intelligence service (MIVD).  Ibrahim A said that activities were suddenly halted, and as a result he lost everything.  The court concluded that the MIVD ended the relationship with Ibrahim A. in 2007 without taking due precautions.  In 2009, Ibrahim A was threatened as a result and had to leave the country and lost everything.  This case has raised much debate.  The court also heard the testimony of other secret collaborators of the MIVD during the proceedings.

http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1012/Nederland/article/detail/4183910/2015/11/11/Defensie-liet-MIVD-agent-Afghanistan-in-steek.dhtml

Leak from Parliamentary Control Committee of Intelligence Services

The CIVD is a committee of most parliamentary faction-leaders which supervises the intelligence services and has access to confidential information from the Government. One of its members has leaked that the CIVD got information that the Netherlands had provided information on 1.8 million telephone conversations to the American NSA intelligence service. This news had earlier come in the public domain and led to accusations against the Minister of the Interior that he had provided false information on this issue to parliament. The national police detective service is now investigating which CIVD member has leaked the information. Several faction-leaders say that they wonder whether the justice-department listens in to their conversations in their rooms in Parliament.

www.elsevier.nl/Nederland/achtergrond/2015/11/Fractieleiders-achterdochtig-Rijksrecherche-zoekt-lek-in-Kamer-2715322W/

Haneen Zoabi abuses Kristallnacht in Amsterdam comparing Israel to the Nazis

An alternative Kristallnacht memorial ceremony was held in Amsterdam, next to the monument honoring Jewish resistance against the German occupiers during the Second World War.  Such annual ceremonies often turn into incitement against Israel, and this year was no exception.  Arab-Israeli parliamentarian Haneen Zoabi spoke, comparing Israel to Nazi Germany in the 1930s.  (Comment: if this were even remotely true, Zoabi would be sitting in a Dachau-style concentration camp and not in the Israeli parliament.)  The mayor of Amsterdam, knowing Zoabi’s record of extreme incitement, had given permission for the memorial ceremony.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Zoabi-doubles-down-to-Post-What-is-happening-in-Israel-is-even-more-dangerous-than-Germany-432500

Ütrecht: 32 arrests at Pegida demonstration

Thirty-two people were arrested in Ütrecht on Sunday during a demonstration by the anti-Islam movement Pegida.  The arrested included both adherents of Pegida and opponents.  The arrests were made for refusing to obey police orders, failure to carry ID, and for exhibiting insulting posters and banners.  One banner stated that “the Koran is poison”.  Another stated that “Islamisation is EU-thanasia”.

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2015/11/twenty-arrests-at-pegida-demonstration-in-utrecht/

Left of Center Parties Vote against Motion to Fight Anti-Semitism

Parliamentarian Joram van Klaveren (Voor Nederland) presented a motion asking the government to counter anti-Semitism within the educational system.  The motion noted the use of anti-Semitic educational tools within Dutch educational programs, and the fact that many history teachers rarely dare to teach the holocaust.  In addition, it notes the case of a trainee teacher in the town of Almere, who was teaching students that ISIS, the Islamic State, is a Jewish conspiracy. The motion passed by a small majority.  The left wing parties, Labor, Green Left, the Socialist Party and the Party for the Animals voted against the motion, as did two Turkish Dutch parliamentarians who had left the Labor Party.

file:///D:/Users/user/Downloads/Motie_van_het_lid_Van_Klaveren_over_tegengaan_van_antisemitisme_in_het_onderwijs_%20(11).pdf

picture by Enokson, on flickr

Policeman suspected of leaking Information to Gangs

The Dutch police has arrested a policeman, who is suspect of having passed important secret police information to drug and motor-gangs. The arrest is not related to that of a few weeks earlier of another policeman suspect of passing confidential information to gangs. 

www.omroepbrabant.nl/?news/237392982/Corrupte+agent+werkt+bij+Dienst+Infrastructuur+in+Son.aspx

Research shows many mistakes in scientific psychological publications

Half of the psychology articles in scientific journals contain one or more statistical mistakes.  In most cases, this is the result of negligence, such as typos and mistaken rounding up or down of statistics.  In one out of eight cases, however, major negligence was found in the calculations, which impacted directly on the statistical results.  This was discovered in a study carried out by methods expert Michele Nuijten, who tested a random sample of 30,000 articles.  In most of the cases, the mistakes were in line with the opinions expressed by the researchers themselves on the subject of their papers.  Together with another researcher, Nuijten has developed a program which can check statistical inaccuracies.  It can assess whether the mistakes are accidental or not.  In papers where the mistakes were not accidental, frequently more errors were found.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/wetenschap/-grove-onzorgvuldigheden-in-deel-psychologische-studies~a4173086/

Investigation of downed military plane – military intelligence knew of the risks

The Dutch military intelligence service (MIVD) knew of the presence of long-range anti-aircraft artillery in eastern Ukraine at the time of the lethal attack which downed the Malaysian MH17 flight. Almost 300 people were killed, most of whom were Dutch.  This was acknowledged in parliament by Tjibbe Joustra, chairman of the investigation council for security.  Despite this knowledge, the MIVD did not warn airlines that flying over the eastern Ukraine was unsafe.

http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/24694908/__MIVD_wist_van_zware_wapens__.html

Turkish government sends "improper" letter to Turks in the Netherlands

The Dutch Foreign Minister, Bert Koenders (Labor Party), has summoned the Turkish Ambassador to The Hague, following a letter sent by the Turkish government to Turks living in the Netherlands exhorting them to vote for President Erdogan’s AK party in the Turkish parliamentary elections.  The Dutch government called the letter “improper”.  Koenders said that the Turkish Ambassador was summoned in order to express The Netherland’s dissatisfaction with this move, and requested that it should not happen again.  Koenders further told the Ambassador that he is worried about freedom of the press in Turkey, following the attacks on press offices in that country.

http://www.elsevier.nl/Nederland/nieuws/2015/10/Turkse-ambassadeur-op-matje-over-brief-Turken-2710910W/

Enschede: Six people arrested for Nazi salutes

In the town of Enschede, an anti-refugee protest took place.  The demonstration was a protest against plans to establish an emergency refugee center in the town.  About 400 people attended.  Trouble started when a group of protesters marched toward the city center.  Police dispersed the demonstration on the instructions of the mayor.  Six people were arrested for using Nazi salutes, insulting behavior and physical attacks.

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2015/11/six-arrested-at-enschede-refugee-protest/

Deputy Prime Minister angry about neo-Nazi on talk show

Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher was taken aback when he saw Constant Kusters, leader of the far right Dutch People’s Union (NVU) in the guests’ line-up for the popular talk show Pauw.  “I was shocked to see a neo-Nazi representing concerned citizens on television” he stated in parliament.  Kusters said in the broadcast that he sends sympathisers of the NVU to meetings in various places to influence the discussion on whether to accept asylum-seekers.  (comment: Asscher did not mention that the same talk show had also invited a Turkish-Dutch inciter recently, who had suggested the possibility of beating up Israeli tourists visiting the Netherlands – see Bad News, October 17th)

http://nos.nl/artikel/2065841-asscher-windt-zich-op-over-neonazi-bij-pauw.html

Anti-racist body invites extreme anti-Israel inciter to speak at Kristallnacht memorial ceremony

The Jewish community in The Hague is shocked that the Israeli Arab parliamentarian Haneen Zoabi has been invited by an anti-racist organization to speak at a Kristallnacht memorial ceremony in Amsterdam.  Zoabi is a serial inciter, and last year expressed her understanding for the kidnapping of three Israeli youngsters who were later murdered by Hamas.  Louis Bontes and Joram van Klaveren, parliamentarians of the VNL party, have asked the Minister of Security and Justice whether the hate-preacher Zoabi can be refused entrance to the Netherlands.

http://www.parool.nl/parool/nl/4/AMSTERDAM/article/detail/4169381/2015/10/23/De-Kristallnacht-wordt-misbruikt-om-Israel-zwart-te-maken.dhtml