Amnesty International worried about Wilders and Rutte

Amnesty Interational Director Nazarski came out against Dutch Prime Minister Rutte’s letter to all Dutch. He said that Rutte talked about how the "abnormal behavior" of immigrants irritates him and how he calls on people to "act normal" or leave. Nazarski said: "I found that very disappointing. In the letter Rutte is doing the same thing as Wilders: he connects loutish behavior with refugees." He continued: "If Wilders, and now also Rutte, no longer stand for the equality of people, they are undermining” the Dutch constitution,

nltimes.nl/2017/01/31/pm-rutte-wilders-undermining-dutch-constitution-amnesty-international

Minister of Justice Resigns

Minister of Justice, Ard Van der Steur, has resigned as he did not feel he had the continued confidence of the parliament. He was accused of withholding important information while parliamentarian and had advised his predecessor to withhold crucial information about agreements between the prosecution and a prominent criminal.

http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/39682/nbsp/article/detail/4453926/2017/01/26/Minister-Ard-van-der-Steur-treedt-af.dhtml

New Book: Minister of Justice Withheld Key Information from Parliament

A new book by journalist Bas Haan claims that Ard van der Steur Minister of Security and Justice [VVD] has withheld crucial information from parliament both when he was a parliamentarian and as minister.  Haan revealed that in March 2015 Van der Steur suggested in a secret email that parliament should not be fully informed about a deal the prosecution made with a criminal.  A debate in parliament will determine whether Vad der Steur can keep his position.  One should be aware that in mid-March there will be parliamentary elections in the Netherlands.

nltimes.nl/2017/01/24/justice-min-accused-lying-parliament-ruling-vvd-partys-election-plan-turmoil

Rutte: “Behave normally or go away”

In a full-page newspaper message, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said “we have to actively defend our values” against people who refuse to integrate or act antisocially. “Behave normally or go away.” PVV leader Geert Wilders reacted by calling Rutte “the man of open borders, the asylum tsunami, mass immigration, Islamization, lies and deception.” www.torontosun.com/2017/01/23/behave-normally-or-go-away-dutch-prime-minister-mark-rutte-says-integrate-or-leave

EU Rules Handicap in dealing with those refused Asylum

Deputy Minister Dijkhoff (Security and Justice) has said that it is very difficult to expel asylumseekers who have been refused asylum. He added that EU rules make the situation even more difficult as only in rare cases these people can be held in detention. This makes it easier for them to hide illegally or flee to another country.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/27467593/___Roer_moet_om_in_Brussel___.html

IS Sympathizer Carried Out Research on Jihadist Woman

It has now become known that a study by the University of Amsterdam into women who joined the IS movement was partly carried out by a researcher who is a violent jihad sympathizer.  The researcher whose name was given as Aysha Navest has, according to the daily NRC, written articles under a pseudonym on websites praising jihadis.  University is going to undertake an external investigation of the study.

www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/01/university-research-into-is-women-was-carried-out-by-is-sympathiser-nrc/

Dutch Ambassador to Denmark insults Wilders

Dutch Ambassador to Denmark Henk Swarttouw has reacted  to Prime Minister Mark Rutte statement that the VVD (Liberals) will not form a coalition with Geert Wilders’ Freedom party PVV after the elections in March. He said on twitter: "Good news! No more feeding the beast." PVV parliamentarian Raymond de Roon asked for an explanation from Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Bert Koenders. Swarttouw has since aplogzed to Wilders.

http://nltimes.nl/2017/01/17/dutch-ambassador-accused-election-meddling-insulting-pvv-wilders

Secret Report: Police Ignorant About Most Criminal Acts

A secret report by the police and the prosecution shows that criminality in the Netherlands is far bigger than the official figures show.  The reported figures fall very short because of the lack of capacity of the police to collect data and a decline in the willingness of citizens and companies to report crimes. The report states that the capacity of the police and the prosecution has reached such a low level that civilians are losing confidence in the justice system while criminals behave as if they can no longer be arrested.

http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/39681/nbsp/article/detail/4447567/2017/01/13/Nederlandse-politie-ziet-de-meeste-misdaad-niet.dhtml

Christian Democrat Leader: Prime Minister denies Moral Crisis in Netherlands

Christian Democrat Leader Sybrand Buma said during his party’s congress that Prime Minister Mark Rutte denies the moral crisis the Netherlands finds itself in. Buma wondered whether it was the arrogance of power or the easygoing behavior of a liberal who only understands the value of money.

www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/39681/nbsp/article/detail/4448527/2017/01/14/Buma-Rutte-ontkent-de-morele-crisis-in-Nederland.dhtml

KLM: Amsterdam Airport Limits Growth

Pieter Elbers, Chief Executive of KLM says that Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has attracted too many budget airlines and companies from Gulf countries.  As a result, it is reaching its maximum capacity which limits the growth of KLM.

http://www.ad.nl/dossier-amsterdam/klm-is-boos-schiphol-belemmert-ons-in-onze-groei~a9a81bdf/

Police investigate IS Link to Dutch Holiday Village

The Dutch police are investigating whether an IS sympathizer has visited a holiday park in Limburg, which is popular with Arab guests.

www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/01/police-investigate-possible-is-link-to-dutch-holiday-village/

University Lecturers under Work Pressure

Almost seven in 10 university academic staff say they have to work under a lot of pressure and 70% do at least six hours overtime a week, according to a survey by trade union federation FNV. About 60% of academic staff, including PhDs, have a flexible or short term contract, a FNV spokesman  said. ‘This means there is great pressure [on staff] to stand out and to be considered for another short-term or a permanent contract.”

www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/01/pressure-mounts-on-university-lecturers-as-student-numbers-rise/

Dutch Kurdish Writer Threatened with Death

Dutch writer and former Labour party politician, Celal Altuntas, has been threatened with death because of an interview in which he said that refugees and migrants have to take more responsibility.  Altuntas says he has been called a traitor, inciter of hate, son of a whore, and a dog.  In an interview he also said that immigrants should stop trying to be rewarded for their victimhood and that racism is not limited to white people, but can also be found in Turkish and Moroccan Dutchmen, among others. Altuntas is a Kurdish refugee and has been threatened in the past.

http://www.elsevier.nl/nederland/achtergrond/2017/01/schrijver-altuntas-bedreigd-na-kritiek-op-slachtofferschap-migranten-430673/

Abusive Parents Attack Child Protection Caregivers

Child protection workers face all forms of aggression you can think of.  Sigrid van de Poel, director of Youth Protection Region Amsterdam, said abuse ranges from “From cursing to real physical violence.”  In the past some parents have been such a big risk that regular youth workers could not treat the family and some of them had to go into hiding.

http://nltimes.nl/2016/12/30/abusive-parents-increasingly-attack-child-protection-caregivers