Dutch soldiers in Mali lack equipment

Due to lack of equipment some of the Dutch soldiers of the UN peace force cannot go on patrol. This concerns lack of night vision binoculars, equipment to jam roadside bombs as well as new lighter bullet-proof vests.

www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2016/12/lack-of-equipment-means-some-dutch-soldiers-cant-patrol-in-mali-ad/

Fireworks Hotline gets over 7000 Complaints in two Days

The firework hotline vuurwerkoverlast.nl received over 7000 complaints in two days. The hotline announced that most of the complaints involved firework bombs.

http://nltimes.nl/2016/12/26/fireworks-hotline-gets-7000-complaints-two-days

Dutch Intelligence Service Tries to Hack Whatsapp and Telegram

Dutch intelligence services are attempting to hack the encryption of Whatsapp and Telegram, said Dick Schoof, the National Coordinator of the Fight Against Terror (NCTV).  He said that this is necessary in order to know whether terrorists use such encrypted networks.  Schoof added that hacking into these programs is difficult.  He said that the intelligence services are not interested in the messages of other people.  It has also become known that the German intelligence services have a budget of 150 million Euro to try to decipher the encryption of services such as Whatsapp and Telegram.

http://nos.nl/artikel/2148776-aivd-doet-pogingen-om-whatsapp-en-telegram-te-kraken.html

Turkey recalls embassy employee Yusuf Acar from Netherlands

Turkey has recalled Yusuf Acar from the Netherlands. Acar held two positions. He was an employee of the Turkish embassy in the Netherlands. At the same time he was the chairman of the religious Diyanet organization, which is the umbrella organization of Turkish mosques in the Netherlands. Acar was accused of collecting information for the Turkish government on supporters of the Gulen movement in the Netherlands. He had also called the Dutch Christian Democrat party (CDA) a bulwark of Gulenists. Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders thereupon told the top diplomat of the Turkish embassy in The Hague that Acar had crossed red lines.

http://nos.nl/artikel/2149474-turkije-trekt-omstreden-leider-moskee-organisatie-terug-uit-nederland.html

Judge Reprimanded after Tweet about Wilders

After Geert Wilders was elected Politician of the Year, Judge Sylvia Taalmen tweeted about his election, “Stark raving mad.”  Her superiors reprimanded her saying that it was a misplaced remark.  Judge Taalmen has now closed her Twitter account which had 4,500 followers.

http://www.tubantia.nl/regio/almelo-en-omgeving/almelo/twitterrel-rond-rechter-in-almelo-1.6764128

Legal problems in condemning Assassins for Hire

The Amsterdam Public Prosecutor is calling for a change in the Criminal Code to make preparing for an assassination punishable, even without knowing who the targets are. In November eight Utrecht suspects, the so-called "assassination squad" were sentenced to prison terms of between 3 and 8 years. Yet they were partly acquitted of preparing for assassinations, because the Prosecutor could not prove who the intended targets were.

http://nltimes.nl/2016/12/20/acquittal-many-murder-hire-plots-unnerves-amsterdam-prosecutor

Dutch Pessimistic about Future of Country

Professor Paul Dekker of the Social and Cultural Planning Bureau said that the Dutch are pessimistic about the future of their country.  Only 28% believe that developments are moving in the right direction.  However, they are reasonably optimistic about their own life, their financial situation and the economy.

http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/27263553/__Pessimisme_over_Nederland_troef__.html

Billions of Drug Money flow through Netherlands

Tilburg mayor Peter Noordanus says that the Netherlands is a paradise for people in involved in the drug trade. He added that billions of euros in drug money flow through the country. He mentioned as a conservative estimate for the production of drugs 4 to 8 billion euros. Noordanus has led a large scale investigation into subversive crime in the Netherlands. He said that this crime is everywhere. Noordanus added that "In Tilburg alone there are 2,400 people who earn their money with drugs." He remarked that ""If we do nothing, soon nowhere will be safe.”

http://nltimes.nl/2016/12/15/billions-drug-money-flowing-netherlands-tilburg-mayor

Utrecht: Mosque tells Students not to denounce Criminals to Police

Various students at the Salafist mosque Al-Fitrah in Utrecht have approached the AD daily to tell how teachers there undermine Dutch law. They teach that it is forbidden to denounce criminals to the police. One student asked a teacher whether a Moroccan who is involved in trafficking in women and destroys human lives should not be denounced to the police. The teacher’s answer was that this rule is also valid for the worst type of crimes.  

www.ad.nl/dossier-utrecht/lessen-van-alfitrah-vormen-gevaar-voor-de-samenleving~a590fe75/

Many Cases of Fraud at Amsterdam Municipality

In the past four years, 32 cases of fraud and corruption of employees and external contractors of the Amsterdam municipality have been found.  In four cases, complaints were made to the police.  Nine people were fired and business agreements with four external contractors were terminated. One of the cases involved an employee that charged the municipality via a company he was running with his wife for half a million Euro for activities that were not carried out.

http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/27221207/__Fraude_door_ambtenaren_A_dam__.html

Hate Imam Returns to The Hague

The rumors that Salafist Imam Fawaz Jneid intends to build a mosque in The Hague has caused unrest among various political parties there. The VVD (Liberals) want the municipality to do all what it can to keep this imam out of town. In the past Jneid has said for instance “Oh God give Theo van Gogh a sickness which no citizen of the earth can heal.” Van Gogh was murdered by a Muslim a few month later. Jneid has also said that men can beat women in some situations.

www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/5091/Religie/article/detail/4433327/2016/12/13/Imam-Fawaz-is-terug-tot-ergernis-van-Den-Haag.dhtml

The Hague charged Holocaust survivors unjustified Leasehold Tax

Seventy years after the end of the Second World War new research has found that the municipality of the Hague has charged, after the war, hundreds of holocaust survivors leasehold tax while these Jews were in concentration camps or in hiding. If they did not survive their heirs were charged. This despite the fact that the persecuted Jews’ houses had been confiscated by the German occupiers during the war.

www.ad.nl/den-haag/schadevergoeding-joodse-slachtoffers-voor-woii-belasting~a2434291/

Former Police commissioner: Profiling is necessary

Rob Hessing a retired senior police commisioner has said that the police cannot do its work without profiling. He added that among young people with a non-Western look, there is irritation when they stopped by the police. This may be for instance when they drive a car which does not match their profile. Hessing also said that the does not exclude that police officers who have frequently dealt with non-Western criminals may have a prejudice how these people behave.

www.rtlnieuws.nl/nederland/oud-hoofdcommissaris-politie-kan-werk-niet-doen-zonder-te-profileren

Wilders calls the Netherlands “A sick Country.”

A court has condemned Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders – without any punishment – because of the statement that he wants less Moroccans. Wilders reacted by saying that the Netherlands has become a sick country. He added: “Moroccans are no race and people who say something about Moroccans are no racists. I am not a racist, nor are my voters.”   

http://nos.nl/artikel/2147381-video-wilders-nederland-is-een-ziek-land-geworden.html

Ter Apel: North African Asylum Seekers regularly threaten Bus Drivers

Asylum seekers from the Ter Apel center cause daily problems on buses. They do not pay, are aggressive and threaten drivers. Those who cause problems mainly come from North Africa. If they get fines they tear them often up immediately. According to stewards of the bus company, the police sometimes even gives them free tickets to avoid further problems.

www.powned.tv/artikel/asielzoekers-ter-apel-maken-amok-in-bus-af

New York State places Four Dutch Firms on Blacklist for Alleged Israel Boycott

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has placed 13 firms on a blacklist for their alleged boycott of Israel.  Four of the firms are Dutch: ASN and Triodos banks, engineering group HaskoningDHV and water company Vitens. The companies have 90 days to prove they have not boycotted Israel.

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2016/12/new-york-state-places-dutch-firms-on-blacklist-for-alleged-israel-boycott/

Ter Apel: Cameras to register Problems caused by Asylumseekers

After many demands from citizens and businesses the municipality of Vlagtwedde will immediately install six cameras to register problem caused by a small group of asylumseekers from Ter Apel, which is part of the municipality. They frequently cause hindrance including pickpocketing and other theft.

www.ad.nl/dossier-vluchtelingenstroom-west-europa/camera-s-tegen-overlast-asielzoekers-ter-apel~a0eae79d/

Government wants to stop undemocratic Countries from financing religious Organizations

After much pressure from parliament the Dutch government finally wants to stop the financing of Dutch religious organizations by sources from undemocratic countries. In recent months there have more and more news items on the financing of Islamic organizations in the Netherlands by foundations from Qatar and Saudi Arabia. In one case an organization was involved which has links with Al Qaida.

www.elsevier.nl/nederland/achtergrond/2016/12/nu-wil-asscher-geldstroom-moskeeen-wel-aanpakken-411492/

Secret Service Investigated Wilders

It has now become known that in 2009 and 2010 the Dutch general intelligence service AIVD investigated PVV leader Geert Wilders. An intelligence service investigating a politician is highly unusual in The Netherlands. The investigation concerned the ties Wilders had with influential people in Israel. Wilders and the AIVD declined comments.

http://nltimes.nl/2016/12/02/secret-service-investigated-wilders-israeli-contacts

Rutte warns of breaking up of European Union

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has spoken in Warsaw at a congress of ALDE the Liberal faction in the European Parliament. He said that the EU has to listen seriously to the worries of its citizens. Rutte remarked that one has to stop dreaming about more Europe and further European integration. He identified the economy and migration as the two prime problems to deal with. Rutte added: “I am convinced that if we do not solve the problems of the European population we bring Europe closer to the abyss.”  

www.elsevier.nl/nederland/achtergrond/2016/12/rutte-waarschuwt-voor-uiteenvallen-eu-stop-met-dromen-over-meer-eu-411038/

Historian: Dutch Army’s Violence in former Dutch Indies was structural

Swiss Dutch historian Remy Limpach has published a book in which he claims that extreme violence by the Dutch Army in Indonesia (then the Dutch Indies) from 1945-1949 was structural and not incidental. He claims that it left behind a trail of burning villages and dead bodies. Limpach writes about extreme torture and killings of prisoners without process as well as random shootings on civilians, including women, children and the elderly.    

www.ad.nl/buitenland/indie-militairen-pleegden-op-grote-schaal-oorlogsmisdaden~a4fc128a/