Friday, September 30, 2016

Police Union Unhappy with Civil Patrol Units

Gerrit van de Kamp, of the police union ACP considers civil patrols as potentially dangerous. He called them activities in the twilight zone. Yet there are already 700 such civil patrols. They operate in half of the Dutch communities. Van de Kamp admitted that the authorities do not succeed in dealing with the feelings of intimidation and insecurity in The Nethelands.

www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/39683/nbsp/article/detail/4386051/2016/09/29/Een-buurtwacht-belandt-al-snel-in-schemergebied.dhtml

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Minister criticizes Groningen University after Student hospitalized

During an initiation ritual at the Vindicat student association in Groningen a first year student was hospitalized with a cerebral oedema. Initially the university said that this was an internal matter for the association. Then education Minister Jet Bussemaker intervened. She condemned the university’s reaction as completely insufficient. Now the university and the Groningen city council want to abolish initiation rituals. Earlier nude pictures of 22 female students from the association were put on an internet site and opinions given on “their performance between the sheets.”
www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2016/09/groningen-student-hospitalised-after-initiation-ritual/

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Dutch fighter Planes have no ammunition to bomb ISIS

General Middendorp has informed parliament that it is doubtful whether the Netherlands can replace the Belgians in July next year to bomb ISIS. One problem is that The Netherlands does not have smart ammunition left for the planes. A second is that maintenance activities have to be carried out for the F16 planes. A third problem is that they have to fly missions for NATO

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Erdogan starts investigation of Gulen-activities in The Netherlands

Robert Amsterdam, the American lawyer of Erdogan says that The Netherlands is an important country in the Gulen movement, because so many Turks live in this country. He remarked that not every adherent of Gulen is a criminal. Amsterdam expects the Dutch Gulen organization carries out mafia type activities in The Netehrlands like “everywhere.”    
www.metronieuws.nl/nieuws/binnenland/2016/09/erdogan-start-onderzoek-naar-gulen-in-nederland
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Monday, September 26, 2016

Dutch Srebrenica soldiers prepare huge claim against Dutch State

A group of veterans of the Dutchbat III unit prepared a huge claim against the Dutch state because were knowingly sent on an impossible mission to Srebrenica in 1995. The lawyers who represent them say that the claimants number more than 100 soldiers and some officers. Some of the soldiers still suffer from post-traumatic stress after Bosnian Serbian soldiers killed approximately 8000 Muslims from Srebrenica.  The commanding officer of Dutchbat III, Thom Karremans, said that the preparation of the unit was abominable.  Recently, Dutch Minister of Defense, Jeanine Hennis, said that it was known before the soldiers were sent there that the mission could not possibly be carried out.  It is expected that the lawyers will call Hennis to testify as a witness in the upcoming court case.


Sunday, September 25, 2016

Christian Democrats want Investigation of drug-smuggling in Port of Rotterdam

The Christian Democrat Party wants an investigation of drug smuggling through the port of Rotterdam. Parliamentarian Madeleine van Toorenburg said that one has to investigate also the impact on society of the smuggling. She added that one should avoid The Netherlands becoming a “Narco State’. The Ministry of Finance wants to reduce the number of custom employees dealing with drug smuggling by 40%.  www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/26675260/__CDA_wil_onderzoek_cokesmokkel__.html

Saturday, September 24, 2016

A Quarter of Community Service Sentences not fully carried out

A quarter of community service sentences are never or only partially carried out, according to new figures from the probation service Reclassering Nederland. Thousands of people sentenced to community service either fail to show up or are sent home for aggressive behaviour or breaking the rules, broadcaster NOS said. In 2013, there were problems with one in five community service sentences, but this rose to over one in four last year. This means in 2015 almost 11,000 people failed to carry out their sentence. 

Friday, September 23, 2016

Despite criticism Rutte maintains his “Fuck up” statement against Dutch-Turkish hooligan

There has been much criticism in parliament on Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s statement “fuck up” about a Dutch-Turkish hooligan who harassed a journalist. Green left leader Jesse Klaver said that Rutte is pushing people out of Dutch society at a time when Turkey tries to influence them. In reply Rutte said that he stands fully behind his remark.  

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Wilders: King’s speech full of fairy Tales

Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders reacted to King Willem Alexander’s speech on the occasion of the opening of the parliamentary session by saying that he felt like being in the Efteling theme park of fairy tales. He said that the speech contained the government’s fairy tales, which are unrelated to reality, which looks totally different. In his view citizens have seen that the country has been destroyed by the cabinet. Wilders referred to the negative changes in social affairs and to the increases of rent. Wilders mentioned the influx of asylum-seekers and commented “we nearly lost our country.”


Wednesday, September 21, 2016

King mentions Worries in Society about Refugees

In his annual speech on the occasion of the opening of the parliamentary session on the third Tuesday of September King Willem Alexander painted a very positive picture of The Nethrlands’ situation. Yet a few words of concern slipped in: “It is logical that there are worries in society about the arrival of big groups of refugees. We ask ourselves if the differences in culture and in norms and values are not too big and whether services will not come under too much pressure.”

https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/actueel/nieuws/2016/09/20/troonrede-2016

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Dutch Elite Soldiers are fed up with Calls for Prayer from Mosque

Dutch soldiers from the elite Dutch Corps of Command Soldiers (KCT) are fed up with the weekly call for prayer from a mosque close to their barracks in Roosendaal. They have hired a lawyer to end the noise. The soldiers say that the call for prayer is imposed on them against their will. It creates negative associations among soldiers who have served in Muslim countries.   

http://nieuws.tpo.nl/2016/09/19/korps-commandotroepen-roosendaal-is-herrie-oproepen-tot-gebed-moskee-zat/

Monday, September 19, 2016

Medemblik: Vandals Damage Mosque under Construction

Vandals have destroyed windows and fences of a mosque under construction in Medemblik. Its chairman appeals to neighbors whether they can help identify the perpetrators.

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Head of intelligence service: Highest terrorist threat in five years


Rob Bertholee has been the head of the general intelligence service, AIVD, for the past five years. He said that the threat of terrorist attacks during his service has never been as high as at present. He specifically mentioned the danger of traumatized people returning from Syria and Iraq who reenter Dutch society in order to carry out attacks later.  He also referred to people who are inspired by social media to implement terror attacks.  He said that some privacy has to be sacrificed in order to increase security.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Zaandam: Turkish youngsters threaten and intimidate citizens

The Poelenburg neighborhood in Zaandam has gained national publicity due to provocative actions of several tens of mainly Dutch-Turkish youngsters. They hang around at the square before the local supermarket, hinder citizens and provoke the police. Municipal councilor Juliette Rot has complained to the police that she has been threatened. She accused the town’s mayor Geke Faber of reacting far too late to the problems. Some municipal councilors claim that at night also shots are heard. Prime Minister Rutte has called the youngsters “scum.”
www.elsevier.nl/nederland/achtergrond/2016/09/burgemeester-overleeft-motie-maar-crisis-zaandam-houdt-aan-360477/



Friday, September 16, 2016

Twenty percent of children taken out of Dutch Gülen schools

Within a few weeks almost 600 children have been taken out of nine Dutch schools who are considered by Turkey to be close to the Turkish Gülen movement. This represents about twenty percent of all pupils of these schools. In two schools almost half the children have been taken out. The national primary school council PO says that such a sizable departure in a short time has never happened before. Also a number of teachers have left the schools.  

http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/39681/nbsp/article/detail/4372555/2016/09/08/588-kinderen-weg-bij-Gulenscholen.dhtml\

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Minister of Health heavily criticizes Dutch Muslim society

In a lecture Minister of Public Health Edith Schippers (VVD) heavily criticized a variety of phenomena in parts of the Dutch Muslim society. She praised Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who chose her own way in opposition to all conventions. Schippers said that Hirsi Ali faced great difficulties. Yet she opposed the suppression of women in Muslim culture, forced marriages, female circumcision, and the patriarchate. Schippers also criticized the lukewarm support for Hirsi Ali by Dutch feminists.

www.elsevier.nl/nederland/achtergrond/2016/09/hj-schoo-lezing-edith-schippers-de-paradox-van-de-vrijheid-353734/

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Does Dutch-Turkish parliamentarian serve Erdogan’s interests?

Many parliamentarians have criticized Dutch Turkish parliamentarian Tunahan Kuzu (Denk party) because he refuses to distance himself from the way the Turkish government deals with its opponents after the failed coup. They claim that Kuzu justifies the injustice in Turkey. Kadija Arib, chair of the Lower House said to Kuzu that the Dutch constitution says that parliamentarians have to represent the interest of The Netherlands. Alexander Pechtold, the leader of the left-liberal D66 party, stated that Kuzu lies when he says that the Turkish opposition still supports the measures taken by Erdogan.


Tuesday, September 13, 2016

One out of six employees sleeps too little

A study carried out for insurer Zilveren Kruis by TNS-NIPO shows that one out of six employees in the Netherlands has sleep problems. Almost two thirds of these have concentration problems the next day or make mistakes. The researchers say that not only private issues cause sleep problems, but that half of these problems are work related. The researchers recommend that employees be allowed to have short sleep breaks during their work.


Monday, September 12, 2016

Hundreds of Thousands study useless Professions

The Deloitte consultancy has carried out a study about which professions will be taken over by robots. It has come to the conclusion that three hundred thousand Dutch youngsters are studying a profession in which their will work which will be replaced by that of robots. In particular in administrative professions many jobs will disappear.


Sunday, September 11, 2016

Dutch Prime Minister calls Turkish Hooligans “Scum”

In his weekly press conference, Prime Minister Mark Rutte attacked a group of Turkish Dutch youngsters who caused trouble in Zaanstad.  He called them “scum.” He added that he has been annoyed by the behavior of these youngsters and said that he was scandalized that ordinary people feel intimidated in their own neighborhood.  In an earlier TV program about other Turkish Dutch youngsters who obstructed a journalist in Rotterdam he said something that can euphemistically be translated as “Shut up to Turkey.”


Saturday, September 10, 2016

Cyber Security Assessment: Professional Criminals Growing Threat

From the Cyber Security Assessment Netherlands 2016 (CSAN 2016) it is apparent that professional criminals are becoming increasingly better organized and are using advanced digital attack methods. In the past year, several large-scale attacks have taken place with a high degree of organization, focusing on the theft of money and valuable information. In addition to the government, the victims were, increasingly, companies and private citizens. Professional criminals are thus, becoming a growing threat to the digital security in the Netherlands..


Friday, September 9, 2016

Natural Disasters: Netherlands Least Safe Country in Europe

The World Risk Report of the United Nations Authority has concluded that the Netherlands is the least safe country in Europe as far as natural disasters are concerned. The high position of the Netherlands on the list derives from the risk for floods. The sea-level is likely to rise in the coming years, which increases the breaking of the dikes.


Thursday, September 8, 2016

Netanyahu ridicules ill-mannered Dutch-Turkish Parliamentarian.


When Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the Dutch Parliament, he shook hands with Dutch parliamentarians. When he put out his hand to Turkish born Dutch parliamentarian Tunahan Kuzu, the latter refused to take it. Kuzu leads a small minorities’ party, Denk, which was founded after he was expelled from the Labor Party, the ticket on which he was chosen in the last elections. In a short video, Netanyahu called the incident a typical illustration of who wants peace in the Middle East and who doesn’t.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Law professor: Violent anti-Semitism is a result of political Islam

Dutch law professor, Afshin Elian, has said that the revival of violent antisemitism in the Netherlands is the fault of political Islam.  He added, “We are not allowed to look away.  The radical Muslims are among us.”  He said so after a radio reporter tried to speak with a number of people in the Schilderswijk in the Hague with its large Muslim population.  The reporter, Van den Anker, was obstructed while one person remarked, “Jews are not welcome in our neighborhood.  Jews have to be killed.”  Other youngsters shouted, “Cancer Jew” at her.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Turkish Government angry about Dutch Prime Minister’s remarks


The Turkish ministry of foreign affairs has written on its website  that Dutch Prime Minster Rutte’s remarks toward some Turkish Dutch to shut up and go back to Turkey is unworthy of a Prime Minister. Rutte had made these remarks in a TV program concerning Turkish Dutchmen who had harassed a TV journalist during a demonstration in Rotterdam   

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Police and Military Police Devote Too Little Time to Human Trafficking

Corinne Dettmeijer, the national rapporteur on human trafficking has published the annual Dutch human trafficking monitor.  The number of possible victims of human trafficking declined in 2015 to 1,321 as compared to 1,561 in 2014.  The rapporteur does not consider this a positive development as she says that it is a result of a declined focus of the police and the military police. She recommends to the Minister of Justice not to neglect the issue of human trafficking because of other priorities.  Dettmeijer also recommends careful control of refugees and migrants.