A political crisis is brewing in the Netherlands, with the government on the brink of collapse following the resignation of a minister amid growing discontent over violence around football matches. Today, leaders of the four coalition parties met for urgent talks to try to resolve the issue.
Politico reports this.
Last week in Amsterdam, clashes between local residents and Israeli soccer fans sparked a political row. The centrist New Social Contract (NSC) party’s Secretary of State for the Treasury, Nora Achabar, resigned following allegations that other members of the government allegedly made racist comments during a discussion about the incidents at a cabinet meeting on Monday. However, he has not yet officially commented on his resignation.
In the context of these events, the Dutch government found itself at the center of internal disagreements. Coalition leaders accused immigrants, including Arabs and Muslims, of attacking fans of Israeli soccer club Maccabi Tel Aviv after a match against Dutch side Ajax. Achabar, of Moroccan origin, found himself at the center of the scandal.
The situation is aggravated by the anger of the leader of the far-right Freedom Party (PVV), Geert Wilders, who was outraged by the government’s response to the violence. Wilders, whose party won the election last November but did not join the government, has sharply criticized the government’s actions. He demanded stronger measures against anti-Semitism, accusing the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice of not responding sufficiently to the events in Amsterdam.
Tensions rose when Maccabi fans tore down Palestinian flags in the city center and chanted anti-Arab slogans. Ten Israeli fans were also arrested for provocation the day before the match. In response to these events, the PVV, VVD and BBB parties proposed revoking the citizenship of perpetrators of violence, while the more moderate NSC party did not support such a measure.
There are also problems within the ruling coalition. NSC Interior Minister Judith Uitermark may follow Achabar’s lead and resign. At the moment, the leaders of the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB parties are going to hold urgent talks at the Prime Minister’s residence to try to stabilize the situation.
“This is the right step: Achabar cannot remain silent when there are racist statements in the government,” said opposition and Labor Party leader Frans Timmermans. For his part, Rob Jetten, of the D66 party, said that the government is in chaos and that it is necessary to make public all the details of the discussions that took place on Monday.
Recall that Cursor wrote that the Dutch government needs “more time” to develop a strategy to combat anti-Semitism after last week’s clashes between Israeli soccer fans and local residents, the Justice Minister said.
“Due to the terrible events of November 7 and 8 and because I want to promote a fruitful debate in parliament, I have decided to take more time to prepare a strategy,” said Justice Minister David van Weel.
