Ombudsman: Amsterdam Police Failed

The Amsterdam ombudsman has related to the problems of the Amsterdam underground system now under construction. He strongly criticized the police for its behavior when several buildings were found to be sinking and people were forced to evacuate their homes. He concludes that rather than providing assistance to these people, the police actually caused them more problems. Dealing with these people turned into chaos as the police were ill prepared. Police Chief Bernard Welten has criticized the draft report. www.parool.nl/parool/nl/124/VERKEER/article/detail/187601/2009/02/27/Welten-verwerpt-conclusies-in-rapport-NZ-lijn.dhtml

Expert: Drug Smuggling Necessary for Moroccans

Paolo de Mas, a social geographer and leading expert on Morocco in the Netherlands, has said that Moroccans in the Netherlands and Germany have to resort to drug smuggling because of their limited chances in the labor market. He added that large groups of Moroccans come from the Rif area in northern Morocco which is dominated by cannabis growth and trade. The Moroccan authorities tolerate this. De Mas recommends the application of more authority and maintenance of the law in the Netherlands.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3370574/___Drugssmokkel_noodgedwongen_levenswijze___.html

Maastricht: Police Fight against Extreme Left-Wing Demonstrators

Yesterday afternoon police on horseback together with a special unit fought against extreme left wing demonstrators in Maastricht. Three hundred supporters, mainly Flemish, of the extreme right Voorpost movement demonstrated on the Maas river bank against the town’s pro-drug tolerance policy. On the opposite bank a similar number of extreme leftists marched against the right wing demonstrators. When the leftists tried to cross over a bridge they found the police on their way. Peter Visser, a regional politician of the extreme left Socialist Party, claimed that the trouble was caused by hooligan-fans of the local MVV soccer club.
www.depers.nl/binnenland/288891/Politie-treedt-op-tegen-demonstranten.html

Plea Bargain for Dutch Terrorist in US – 25 Years in Jail

A Dutch terrorist suspect has agreed to a plea bargain in the United States which means that he will serve a 25-year jail sentence. The suspect admitted that he had laid bombs on the side of roads in Iraq.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article2041097.ece/Nederlandse__bomlegger__Irak_krijgt_25_jaar_cel.html

Professor of Education: Disproportional Violence May Increase Further

Louis Tavecchio, a professor of education at Amsterdam University, says that it is extremely difficult to control the increasing violence against policemen, ambulance workers, bus drivers and teachers. Authorities must be aware that Dutch society is possibly experiencing an increasing wave of disproportional violence. He also said that there is no way one can arm oneself against it. He added that it is frightening that even children aged 11-12 are no longer afraid to use violence.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3369043/___Geweld_amper_te_stoppen___.html

Government Wastes 80 Million Euro on Inadequate Soot Filters

The government has spent 80 million Euros on soot filters for the exhausts of trucks which have proved to be highly inadequate. Minister of Housing and Environment Jacqueline Cramer (Labor) has now cancelled further subsidies for the purchase of these filters.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article2041467.ece/Miljoenen_subsidie_voor_waardeloze_roetfilters.html

Muslim Mayor Ignores anti-Semitic Shouts Against Him

Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb (Labor), a practicing Muslim of Moroccan descent, does not want to prosecute soccer fans who called him a “dirty Jew” and shouted that he should be sent to the gas chambers. The Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI) has written to the Rotterdam public prosecutor Henk Korvinus saying that refraining from prosecuting only encourages others to shout anti-Semitic slogans. CIDI director Ronny Naftaniel says that “Jews were referred to in the most derogatory way possible, and in a way deeply seated in hate.” Calls to send Jews to the gas chambers have increased recently during anti-Israel demonstrations.
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1067557.html