Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Top Official: Islamic State a Threat for Europe and the Netherlands

Wim Geerts, the Director General of Political Affairs of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told parliamentarians that IS is a threat for the Netherlands and the rest of Europe. He added that IS is most probably responsible for major crimes such as those against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. Geerts said that the Islamic State, despite its name, is neither a state, nor Muslim. [Comment:  Apparently, this Dutch official believes he is a Muslim theologian who can define what is, and is not, Islam.]
http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4492/Nederland/article/detail/3758484/2014/09/29/Inzamelactie-voor-familie-jihadisten.dhtml

Monday, September 29, 2014

Money Being Collected for the Families of Jihadis

The jihadist movement in the Netherlands and Belgium is collecting money for the family members of jihadists who are in Syria, Iraq or in jail.  The families need help, according to the jihadists, because their social security payments have been frozen and their legal costs are high.  The government is trying to block the activities of the jihadists by blocking their income.
www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4492/Nederland/article/detail/3758484/2014/09/29/Inzamelactie-voor-familie-jihadisten.dhtml

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Dutch Pupil Threatens Beheading of Jews

A 14-year-old Muslim pupil at De Spindel High School in Hengelo prepared a short film in which he expresses his sympathy for ISIS and threatens to behead Jews.  The pupil has been suspended.  The matter has since gone public and the parliamentarians Van Klaveren and Bontes, of the VN party, have put forward questions to the Minister of Security and Justice regarding this issue. They want to know what measures may be taken against the pupil and what will be done to fight the growing anti-Semitism among Muslim students.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Chief Prosecutor: Murderer of van Gogh Had Accomplices

Frits van Straelen, the Chief Prosecutor in charge of investigating the murder of Theo van Gogh in November 2004, says that the murderer, Mohamed Bouyeri, could not have acted by himself.  Van Straelen stated that there are indications that Bouyeri’s accomplices had followed van Gogh to see where he went and provided Bouyeri with the murder weapon.  Bouyeri must also have been financially subsidized because he no longer received Social Security after May 2004.  Van Straelen added that the mistakes made by the General Intelligence Service, AIVD, have hampered the investigation. The CTIVD, the supervisory body of the AIVD, has concluded that the AIVD has neglected to share its information with regional police units and intelligence services.


Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Three Dutch Jihadis Killed in Syria

According to the Dutch press agency AMP, three Dutch jihadis have been killed by recent American attacks on the Islamic State in the Syrian town of Aleppo.  The spokesman of The Dutch Coordinator of The Fight Against Terror (NCTV) commented that it is obvious that if one goes on jihad, one comes into a war zone, where there are heavy fights.  

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Possible Fraud at National Lottery Investigated

The authority which supervises gaming has started an investigation into possible fraud at the National Lottery.  There are indications from both external sources and from employees of the National Lottery that recent draws have not been done according to the rules.  The results of the draw on King’s Day, for example, showed that more lottery tickets were submitted than were legally issued. A report from the auditing firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers shows that the systems of the lottery are susceptible to fraud.  Four former employees of the Greek company, Intralot, which manages the system, have said that due to the system’s shortcomings, it is possible to manipulate the results.
http://nos.nl/artikel/700580-trekking-staatsloterij-onderzocht.html

Monday, September 22, 2014

Possible Fraud at Five Different Anti-Jihadi Projects

The Justice Department is investigating possible fraud and corruption in at least five major projects, each aimed at fighting radicalization. Two of the suspects are from the Institute for Multicultural Issues Forum.  The suspicions concern the Institute’s program manager, Halim el Madkouri, a Labor party politician, and the Berber activist Farid L., from The Hague. Both were arrested in a Hague coffee shop when el Madkouri received an envelope containing four thousand Euros from Farid L.   

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Jihadis from The Hague Were Planning Attack on European Commission

The Belgian Justice Department has leads that jihadists from The Hague have plans to attack the office of the European Commission in Brussels.  In August, a man and a woman of Turkish origin were arrested at the Brussels airport where they had returned from Turkey.  They had most probably been in Syria.  Apparently the Belgian Justice Department is searching for additional jihadists in the Netherlands.  All of these jihadis are Dutchmen of Turkish descent who are suspected of having connections to jihadi networks.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Labor Parliamentarian Assaulted with Eggs and Fireworks

Labor parliamentarian, Ahmed Marcouch, visited the Schilderswijk in The Hague.  He was battered with eggs and fireworks. People shouted at him, “Marcouch Homo”. 
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3748475/2014/09/15/Marcouch-in-Schilderswijk-bekogeld-met-eieren-en-vuurwerk.dhtml

Friday, September 19, 2014

Dutch Jihadi: We Don’t Torture, I Just Shoot Them Dead

BNN TV has interviewed a Dutch jihadi who is part of the Al-Nusra front, the Syrian branch of the terror network, Al-Qaeda. The jihadi, Abu-Gharib, says that “the people who fight for Syrian president Assad torture victims in the most horrible way. We don’t do that, I just shoot to kill”.
http://over.bnn.nl/persberichten/post/78833/bnn-special-9-11-over-nederlandse-jihadstrijders

Thursday, September 18, 2014

The Netherlands a Paradise for Car Thieves

Due to loopholes in Dutch law, it is extremely easy for car thieves to buy the equipment necessary to steal cars.  This was said by Mr. Wouter Verkerk of the Foundation for Insurance and Car Criminality (VbV).  In three years, the number of new cars which have been stolen has increased by 250%.  As a result of the loopholes in the law, the Netherlands has become a successful exporter of new and almost-new stolen cars and car parts. 




Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Freedom Party: Black Pete Has to Be Black by Law

 The Freedom party will soon introduce legislation to parliament about Black Pete.  This new law will state that whenever communities organize an official reception for Sinterklaas, they will have to make sure that Black Pete is truly black.  In addition, it will not be allowed to change the lyrics of classic Sinterklaas songs. It is doubtful whether a majority of parliamentarians will support the law.


Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Trade Union of Military: No Confidence in Minister of Defense

Jean Debie, Chairman of the military trade union, VBM, says that the military has no confidence in the Minister of Defense, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. According to Debie, salaries have decreased by 4.7%. There are also many complaints about the shortage of spare parts and manpower to participate in international actions. All this was confirmed in a poll executed this summer among 3,200 military, civil employees, and pensioners. About 80% of those polled consider that the Ministry does not act in the interest of the personnel.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Six Former Prison Directors Want Dutch Minister of Justice Prosecuted


Six former directors of Dutch prisons have put in a complaint against Ivo Opstelten, the Dutch Minister of Security and Justice.  They believe the Minister to be politically responsible for the delay in complaints against the former Director General of the Ministry, Joris Demmink, who is suspected of pedophilia.  In April, Opstelten told the Dutch public broadcasting service, NOS, that he believed Demmink was not guilty.  The six former directors have asked a parliamentary commission to order the Prosecutor General at the Supreme Court to start a criminal investigation of Demmink.
http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3747493/2014/09/13/Oud-gevangenisdirecteuren-klagen-Opstelten-aan-voor-rol-in-zaak-Demmink.dhtml

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Dutch Jihadis Hold Top Positions in ISIS

The Telegraaf daily reports that Dutch jihadists have reached the highest levels of ISIS, where they have direct contact with its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The Dutch jihadist, Abu Ubaida al-Maghribi had an important function in the ISIS jail where the American journalist, James Foley, was held before he was beheaded.  There are reports that al-Maghribi has, in the meantime, been murdered by ISIS fighters on suspicions of spying. Another example is the Dutch jihadi, Khalid K., who has been seen photographed with a German jihadi who belongs to al-Baghdadi’s immediate advisors. Khalid K. has also been photographed with a number of skulls.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/23075927/__Polderjihadist_bij_top_ISIS__.html

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Russia Heavily Criticizes Dutch Report on Airline Crash

Russian UN Ambassador Vitali Tsjoerkin has said that the Dutch report of the Malaysian airline crash in Ukraine can hardly be considered an unbiased investigation.  He added that all this vague report proves is that the plane hasn’t fallen down by itself, but has been shot down - which is obvious.  The Dutch experts, who conducted the study with the help of the Ukrainians, cannot claim that this was an international investigation.


Friday, September 12, 2014

Far More Defense Employees Exposed to Cancer-Causing Material than Previously Thought

It now has become known that even more employees of the Dutch Ministry of Defense have been exposed to the carcinogenic chrome-6 than previously announced. In at least ten locations, employees were exposed to up to 8 times more chrome-6 levels in paint than is permitted by safety norms.  The Minister of Defense, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, has said that she will expand the investigation. Already in 1999, there were reports which found that the ventilation system at these locations were inadequate.


Thursday, September 11, 2014

Wave of Suicide Attempts among Armenian Asylum-Seekers

Of the 45 Armenians who are being treated by the psycho-trauma center Zuid-Nederland, 22 adults are severely suicidal.  These are people whose requests for asylum have been rejected by the Dutch authorities.  Psychologists who treat them state that these refugees have reached a state of medical emergency. Psychologist Agnes Moyene-Jansen says that the traumas are the result of systematic maltreatment in Armenia, including rapes.  She added that the Dutch government authorities are ignoring the problem. 

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Lung Doctors Will Sue Dutch Government over Their Support of the Tobacco Industry

The Foundation for the Prevention of Smoking among Youth (Rookpreventie Jeugd) plans to sue the Dutch Government for not adhering to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of the World Health Organization. The Convention states that the tobacco industry cannot have any influence on the anti-smoking policies of countries, and the Netherlands has signed this convention. Yet the Dutch government invites the tobacco industry to give its opinion when such policies are defined. The Foundation says that every year, 20,000 Dutchmen die from smoking-related causes. The key figures in the Foundation are the lung doctors, Wanda de Kanter and Pauline Dekker. 

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

The Hague: Yet Another Anti-Semitic Incident in Problem Neighborhood


The Schilderswijk of The Hague is known as one of the most problematic neighborhoods in the Netherlands. On Friday night, a Jewish inhabitant of Schilderswijk was once again the victim of anti-Semitism. He was identifiable as a Jew, as he was wearing a kippa. He was called a "cancer Jew" by various people and a young man on a scooter tried to run him over. The EOTV was able to film the incident. The public prosecution has announced that it will open an investigation.



Monday, September 8, 2014

Employers: Sanctions Against Russia Hurt The Netherlands


The employers’ organization, VNO-NCW, says that the sanctions against Russia are not effective and merely serve to hurt the Dutch economy.  Its chairman, Hans de Boer, says that it would be much better to do a deal with Russian President Putin about Crimea which has been annexed and to consult with him how to deal with eastern Ukraine.  De Boer added that the longer the economic sanctions against Russia last, the bigger the damage to the Dutch business world will be, as companies from Brazil and China take over their markets in Russia.  In the past, VNO-NCW has supported economic sanctions against Russia.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Three Jihadis Released After Court Decision


A Dutch court has decided that three out of the four jihadis planning to go to Syria should be released, as there is not enough evidence to warrant keeping the two women and the one man in custody.  Child safety experts have to decide what to do with their six children. All of the released are Europeans that have converted to Islam.  The mayor of Huizen said that the release does not mean that the case is closed.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

European Commission Fines Philips

The European Commission has fined Philips for more than twenty million Euros because of illegal cartel agreements concerning the chip division.  This division has in the meantime been sold.  Between 2003-2005, Philips was one of four companies which exchanged data about prices, clients, contract negotiations and contract capacity.  These transgressions concerned chips in mobile phones, bank cards, and passports.


Friday, September 5, 2014

Christian Democrat Leader: Hizb ut Tahrir Should Be Prohibited

The radical Muslim movement, Hizb ut Tahrir, is still permitted in the Netherlands while it is illegal in countries such as Pakistan and Germany.  The movement aims to establish an Islamic State where only Sharia law is applied. In a television program, the leader of the Christian Democrats, Sybrand Buma, said that Hizb ut Tahrir should be illegal in the Netherlands.  The program’s producers wanted to invite Okay Pala, Hizb ut Tahrir’s spokesperson, but Buma refused to debate with Pala, as he didn’t want to help provide a podium for an organization which wants a caliphate and helps propagate violence.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

More Death Threats Over Black Pete Issue

Ineke Strouken, the Director of the Dutch Center for Popular Culture, has said that she has already received thousands of hate mails and death threats regarding the Black Pete issue. Strouken has said that Black Pete should not be fully black but should have his face painted with black stripes instead.  She added that she had considered resigning, but decided that she wants to continue trying to find a solution for the Black Pete controversy.  www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/23042406/__Bedreiging_om__Pietenprobleem___.html

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Head of Dutch Intelligence Service: Thousands of Jihadi Sympathizers in the Netherlands


Rob Bertholee, the head of the Dutch General Intelligence Service, AIVD, said in an interview that there are hundreds of adherents of violent jihad in the Netherlands, and thousands of jihad sympathizers.  He added that in contrast, the authorities’ alertness to the problem has declined over the past few years. Bertholee remarked that jihadists have become more sophisticated.  He concluded that even if the AIVD had a budget seven times larger, it still could not guarantee a hundred percent safety for Dutch citizens.


Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Blacklist of Physicians Incomplete, Full of Mistakes and Ineffective

The Altijd Wat Monitor TV program has discovered that dentists who are prohibited from practicing in the UK can easily register in the Netherlands without any problems.  Furthermore, in the BIG register, which is the blacklist of Dutch physicians who are barred from practice, the names of many physicians who have been prohibited to practice cannot be found. Lawyer Yme Drost says that under these circumstances, further cases, similar to that of the neurologist Ernst Jansen Steur, are possible. This physician was condemned to three years of jail because he intentionally misdiagnosed various patients. When he got caught by the Dutch authorities, he started to practice in Germany.

Monday, September 1, 2014

Children of Men Murdered by Dutch Army in Former Dutch Indies Want Compensation


Almost seventy years ago, the Dutch military executed, without trial, thousands of men in the southern part of Sulawesi Island. At that time, the island was part of the Dutch Indies, now Indonesia.  Three children of the murdered have now put in a claim against the Dutch government for compensation.  One of them witnessed, as a child, the murder of his father by Dutch troops.  The three come from the villages of Suppa and Bulukumba, where hundreds of men were executed without trial, and houses were burnt down to the ground.  This was done by the Dutch special troops under the command of Captain Raymond Westerling. In 2011, a Dutch judge condemned the government and ordered it to pay compensation to the widows of the victims of a similar Dutch mass murder in the village of Rawagede, on the Island of Java.