Sunday, November 30, 2014

British Parliamentarian Surprised by Jewish Youngsters Wanting to Leave Netherlands

A British delegation led by the Labor parliamentarian, John Mann, visited the Netherlands.  That visit included a Jewish school.  Mann afterward said that he and his colleagues were surprised by the large number of pupils wanting to leave the Netherlands and immigrate to Israel.  He said that his delegation didn’t understand why the Dutch government remains silent about this issue.  http://www.refdag.nl/nieuws/binnenland/jonge_joden_voelen_zich_bedreigd_en_willen_weg_1_873587

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Ethnic Tensions Lead to Major Fight in Asylum-Seekers Center

In the township of Overloon, seven hundred asylum seekers live in a former jail.  They mainly originate from Syria and Eritrea.  The central body which deals with asylum seekers, the COA, houses them in mixed groups.  After some Syrians complained about drunk Eritreans, the latter beat everybody who wasn’t black with sticks.  Fourteen people were wounded and three arrested.   The COA denies that it was an ethnic conflict, but the asylum seekers claim it was.


Friday, November 28, 2014

Rotterdam Mayor: People Wanting to Go to Syria Should Not Be Hindered

Rotterdam mayor, Ahmed Aboutaleb, who is a Muslim, says that youngsters who want to travel to Syria should be allowed to do so.  However, they should never be allowed to return again to the Netherlands.  His opinions oppose those of the Dutch government.  Aboutaleb considers that if somebody perceives the Dutch society as morally corrupt, the Dutch should not restrain him.  He should only return his passport. 

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Turkey Accuses Netherlands of Racism

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara writes about, “racist attacks which are incompatible with the historical links with the Netherlands”. The Turkish Ministry is critical about a Dutch report concerning Turkish organizations in the Netherlands.  That report claims that organizations such as Milli Gorus work against the integration of Turks in the Netherlands.  It is also critical of the claim that the influence of the Turkish government on Turkish organizations is still very big.  Furthermore, the Turks are negative about a report which claims that Turkish youngsters in the Netherlands perceive people who go to Syria as heroes.  Turkey asks, in its declaration, that the Netherlands ends initiatives and declarations which might be bad for international relations.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Youth Imam Stops Preaching After Getting Threatened

The Amsterdam Youth Imam, Yassin Elforkani, has stopped preaching because he is receiving threats from radical Muslims.  He said that he had concrete indications that he was at risk. The threats started a year ago.  Those who threaten him see him as a traitor and heretic because he advises youngsters not to travel to Syria and participate in the jihad. The police told Elforkani that, “it would be better if he would be less active for a certain time.”  As spokesman of the Contact Organization of Muslims and the Authorities (CMO), Elforkani is the best-known Dutch Muslim who criticizes the jihad.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Trade Union Chairman: Employers Exploit Personnel

The chairman of the FNV trade union, Ton Heerts, says that employers exploit employees on a major scale.  He claims that billions are stolen in this way.  He mentioned in particular large companies such as Albert Heijn, Shell, and AkzoNovo. Heerts said that the main problem is that collective labor agreements are not respected.  He saw huge problems with subcontractors who were paid less than what they were entitled to. The employers’ organizations, VNO-NCW and MKB Nederland, consider that Heerts is exaggerating.



Monday, November 24, 2014

Ethnic Tensions Lead to VIolent Fight in Asylum-Seekers Center

In the township of Overloon, seven hundred asylum seekers live in a former jail.  They mainly originate from Syria and Eritrea.  The central body which deals with asylum seekers, the COA, houses them in mixed groups.  After some Syrians complained about drunk Eritreans, the latter beat everybody who wasn’t black with sticks.  Fourteen people were wounded and three arrested.   The COA denies that it was an ethnic conflict, but the asylum seekers claim it was.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Cheap Foreign Labor Pushes Dutch Out of Work

The research institute, NCO, has undertaken a study on behalf of Minister Asscher (Social Affairs).  The study investigated the period between 2001-2011, and came to the conclusion that Dutch workers are pushed out of certain sectors by cheaper foreign labor from central and Eastern Europe.  This concerns mainly the building sector, industry and transport.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Many confidential Police Files Available on Internet

Due to a security leak at the police, a large number of extremely confidential police files have become accessible on Google. The files contain information on murders, robberies, criminal organizations and jihadi suspects. The files originated from a secret police unit and were accessible until last Tuesday. The leaked files contain many names, photographs, and addresses of dozens of suspects.  Also available were details about the police force itself, such as the names and phone numbers of detectives and prosecutors.  At fault is an internet manager of the police. For reasons that remain unclear, he put the files on a non-secure, private website of a family member. After all this became known the police removed the files.


Thursday, November 20, 2014

Plague of Rats in Amsterdam

The number of complaints in Amsterdam regarding rat infestations keeps increasing.  In the first half of this year, there were almost a thousand complaints at the municipal health service, as compared to 1,760 in all of 2013.  The rats can reach the size of a cat. 

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Minister: More Transparency Necessary of Turkish organizations

Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Lodewijk Asscher (Labor) has received a report he ordered about the influence of Turkish organizations on their members living in the Netherlands. The researchers found a lack of transparency.  They did not succeed in determining to what extent bodies in Turkey interfere in the lifestyle of Turks in the Netherlands.  Minister Asscher now wants to talk with the Turkish authorities about the influence it exercises on Turkish migrant organizations in the Netherlands.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Jewish Umbrella Organization Criticizes Jews Commemorating German Soldiers

Both Allied and German soldiers are buried in the Haelen cemetery.  For the first time, the local Jewish community has included German soldiers in its commemoration services.  The Honorary Consul of Israel, Benoit Wesly, laid a wreath on behalf of Israel. The Orthodox rabbi of the Dutch army recited a prayer.  Joop Fransman, the chairman of the CJO, an umbrella body of Dutch Jewish organizations, criticized the commemoration and said that victims and not the perpetrators should be commemorated.  [While the German army was not in itself a criminal organization, it has participated in a large number of war crimes, including the murdering of Jews in the Holocaust.]


Monday, November 17, 2014

Labor party Expels Two Turkish Parliamentarians


The Labor party has expelled two Turkish parliamentarians, Selcuk Ozturk and Tunahan Kuzu, after they expressed strong disagreement with the integration policy of the party. During the party discussion, Ozturk said to the Moroccan Labor parliamentarian Ahmed Marcouch, “May Allah punish you!”  Party leader Diederik Samsom said that the situation was eerie.  He added that “the Labor party is a secular party, and from time to time, one can hear curses. However, this type of deep-felt religious curses I have not yet heard.”

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Gouda: Ninety Arrests in Battle over Black Pete


Sinterklaas, celebrating the bishop’s birthday on 5 December, is the Netherland’s most important children’s holiday.  In the town of Gouda, its arrival has led to a battle between those who want his assistants to be Black Petes, and those who say that the concept of Black Pete is racist and should be replaced. Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said that it is very sad that Sinterklaas’ arrival has caused so much unrest.  He called upon the Dutch people to make Sinterklaas a big holiday.  

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Offshore Company pays $240 Million Fine after Corruption Discovered


SBM Offshore is paying a $240 million fine to settle with the prosecution. This has been announced by both the prosecution and the company.  It concerns bribes paid to officials in Angola and Equatorial Guinea between 2007-2011.  Bribes were probably paid in Brazil as well.  There are further questions about possible bribes paid in Malaysia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, and Italy.  The accounting firm of SBM Offshore who approved the annual accounts is KPMG.  Earlier, KPMG was involved in the corruption scandal of the building company, Ballast Nedam.





Friday, November 14, 2014

Mayor of London Calls Amsterdam Sleazy

 “Parts of Amsterdam are sleazy”.  This was said by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson (Conservative).  He said so in a meeting in the London neighborhood, Waltham Forest.  He said that the bad environment is due to the tolerant drug policy. 


Thursday, November 13, 2014

German Ambassador Intends to Commemorate Waffen SS Dead

This Sunday at the Ijsselsteyn Cemetery, the German ambassador to the Netherlands, Franz Josef Krem, will commemorate the Germans killed in World War Two.  About 32,000 Germans and 6,000 unknown persons are buried there.  According to the experts of the War Victims Organization (Oorlogslachtoffers), 3,000 members of the Waffen SS are also buried there.  Recently, various neo-Nazis demonstrated at Ijsselsteyn, carrying swastika flags and the black banners of the SS.  The Waffen SS was responsible for many murderous crimes which were part of the Holocaust.  Various high-level Dutch authorities have announced that they will participate in the commemoration services.


Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Eighty Percent of Turkish Youngsters Have No Problem with Muslim Violence against Other Religions


A study carried out by Motivaction (a polling firm) shows that 80% of the Dutch Turkish youngsters are not opposed to the fact that, in the name of jihad, violence is perpetrated against people of other religions.  In addition, 80% do not consider the return of jihadis to the Netherlands from the Middle East to be a problem.  Deputy Prime Minister Asscher (Labor party) said, “We cannot accept that these youngsters turn their backs to society”.  Freedom Party leader, Geert Wilders, said that in the past, when he would mention high figures, people would laugh at him.  He added that “we now know that the reality is worse”.   Liberal party parliamentarian, Malik Azmani, called the outcome of the poll “shocking and unacceptable”. He said that multiculturalism has a negative influence on Dutch society, because its stops the need for integration.


Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Dozens of Ajax Supporters Arrested in Zwolle

In Zwolle, almost 40 soccer fans have been arrested, among which 31 are Ajax Amsterdam fans.  It is not clear what the Ajax fans were doing in Zwolle, as their club was not playing there.  Around the PEC Zwolle stadium, a fight broke out between the two groups of fans, with a variety of weapons, including metal pipes. Stones and glass were thrown as well. 
http://www.spitsnieuws.nl/sport/2014/11/tientallen-ajax-supporters-opgepakt-in-zwolle

Monday, November 10, 2014

European Council: Netherlands Ignores Basic Rights of Illegal Immigrants

The European Council has decided that Dutch authorities must provide services to illegal immigrants and asylum seekers who are not allowed to stay in the Netherlands.  This judgment was given after the final judgment of the Committee for Social Rights on this issue.  This followed a complaint by the Dutch Protestant church against the Dutch state. According to the Committee, the Netherlands ignores some basic rights of illegal immigrants, such as food, clothing, and housing.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Dutch Jihadis Continue to Leave for Iraq and Syria

Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk (Labor Party) has stated on national television that Dutch jihadis continue to leave the Netherlands for Syria and Iraq.  According to the general intelligence service, AIVD, the number of Dutch jihadis has currently reached 160, rising from 140 at the beginning of September.  The number of deaths has now reached 20.  http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1012/Nederland/article/detail/3785328/2014/11/07/Al-160-jihadisten-vanuit-Nederland-vertrokken.dhtml

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Hungary Returns Dutch Jihadi to the Netherlands

A 16 year old Dutch jihadi girl has been arrested in Hungary.  The girl is of Moroccan origin and lived in the Dutch town of Tilburg.  She carried false identity papers and the Hungarian terror office, TEK, says that on social media sites she had many contacts who are Islamist extremists.  She had intended to participate in the armed fight in Syria and to carry out acts of terror.  The girl has been handed over to the Dutch authorities.

Friday, November 7, 2014

Christie’s Investigates Its Role in the Sale of Stolen Art from East Germa



The Dutch department of Christie’s is going to investigate its role in the sale of stolen art from the German Democratic Republic (DDR). Between 1979-1989, Dutch traders bought, for 60 million guilders, stolen art from the DDR.  The art was apparently stolen by a secret organization of the DDR Ministry of Trade. In the 1980s, much art was brought to Christie’s in Amsterdam.  What was not sold was put in a warehouse in Lisse. 
http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2014/11/05/veilinghuis-christies-onderzoekt-eigen-rol-in-de-verkoop-van-roofkunst/

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Organized Crime Steals Baby Food

The umbrella organization of the food industry, CBL, collaborates with the national police in a mutual intelligence organization (GIO) to fight the organized crime which is behind the massive theft of baby food.  In the past, baby milk powder was bought in large quantities by Chinese traders.  Nowadays, the entire supplies of supermarkets and other shops are stolen.  These thefts are probably the work of organized, Eastern European criminal gangs. 


Wednesday, November 5, 2014

More Dutchmen Use Botox

Cosmetic doctor, Robert Schoemacher, says that over the past five years, the number of men receiving Botox injections has increased by 10-15%.  If the trend continues, in five years from now, the number of men using Botox in the Netherlands will be identical to the number of women using it.  Marguerite van Randwijck, another cosmetic doctor, says that in particular, frown lines are a major area.


Tuesday, November 4, 2014

12 Soccer Fans Arrested

During the soccer game between FC Den Bosch and FC Oss, 12 fans were arrested.  They were charged with vandalism, fighting, and setting off heavy fireworks.  Already before the beginning of the game, fans of the two clubs fought with each other.  When the special police unit intervened, the police officers were assaulted.  It was decided to send 3 buses of fans back to Oss.  However, when they started to vandalize the bus, the driver stopped and ended the trip.


Monday, November 3, 2014

Dirty Exhaust Pipes of Restaurants Repeatedly Cause Fires

Poorly maintained exhaust pipes of Amsterdam restaurants cause major fires, and in particular if the restaurant is below apartments or a hotel.  Fat deposits often collect in these pipes and burn easily.  Last year, the fire department was called 11 times because of such fires.  A typical case was the restaurant Snackland, on the Damrak.  In 2010, the fire caused the restaurant to totally burn down, while the hotel above was severely damaged.


Sunday, November 2, 2014

Imam before Court Because of Illegal Shari’a Marriages

In the Netherlands, it is forbidden to hold a religious marriage ceremony before the civil marriage license is obtained. Nevertheless, Iman Fawaz Jneid has officiated at dozens of Shari’a marriage ceremonies which took place after 2008, when he had promised the authorities that he would not do it again.  These marriages were held in the large Salafist mosque, As-Soennah, in the Hague.  Fawaz says that “The management of the mosque dismissed me for this reason in 2012, even though they were all aware of this, the more so as I had even married the chairman of the mosque and the secretary while they had not yet had a civil marriage”.  In the court, the public prosecution is asking for a penalty of 1,200 euros.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Black Pete Threatened in Rotterdam

People dressed up as black Pete no longer dare to appear in some neighborhoods of Rotterdam and Schiedam. This was said by Rob Garnier of the company Kostuum Verhuur Schiebroek which rents out the clothing for Black Pete. The aggression has started a few years ago.