Dutch government rocked after minister alleges Cabinet racism in fallout from football violence

DUTCH PRIME MINISTER Dick Schoof’s far-right government faced a crisis Friday when a junior minister reportedly threatened to resign, alleging “racist” comments by cabinet colleagues after last week’s attacks on Israeli football fans.

Deputy Finance Minister Nora Achahbar, who is of Moroccan descent, was expected to hand in her resignation, which may prompt other cabinet ministers of her anti-corruption New Social Contract (NSC) party to follow suit, Dutch media said.

As of tonight, the European edition of Politico is reporting that the government may survive – with just Achahbar stepping down.

The row was sparked by far-right leader Geert Wilders has blamed last week’s violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans on “Muslims” and “Moroccans”.

Wilders’s Freedom Party won the most seats in Dutch elections a year ago, but the coalition it formed will lose its majority if the NSC, with its 20 seats in the 150-seat lower house, pulls out of the government.

The ruling coalition led by Schoof has 88 seats in parliament between the NSC, Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV), the Liberal VVD and farmer-friendly BBB party.

Coalition party leaders went into an emergency session this evening to discuss the current crisis, with NSC acting leader Nicolien van Vroonhoven saying “we will see” if the party wanted to continue in the government coalition.

“We have had to swallow quite a bit, it’s difficult,” Van Vroonhoven told reporters at the gates of Schoof’s official residence in The Hague.

Asked if Achahbar had handed in her resignation, Van Vroonhoven said “it looks like it, but we are going to look into it.”

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‘Racist statements’

“The minister is expected to hand in her resignation later today (Friday) after unhappiness with incidents within the cabinet after the violence in Amsterdam involving the game between Ajax and Tel Aviv Maccabi,” public broadcaster NOS said.

“Last Monday, during the cabinet meeting, things reportedly got heated, and in Achahbar’s opinion racist statements were made,” it said.

“Achahbar reportedly indicated then that she, as a minister, had objections to certain language used by her colleagues,” NOS added.

Achahbar, 42, for a long time worked as a public prosecutor.

Other NSC cabinet members had not ruled out quitting, NOS said, citing unnamed sources.

The Netherlands is dealing with political fallout from last week arising from violent scenes on Amsterdam’s streets.

Israeli club Maccabi fans were chased and beaten after a Europa League match against Ajax in Amsterdam on November 7 in attacks which Schoof said was prompted by “unadulterated anti-Semitism”.

However, Dutch authorities also reported that Maccabi fans set fire to a Palestinian flag before the match, chanted anti-Arab slurs and vandalised a taxi.

Anti-Islam figure Wilders said during a debate on Wednesday that the perpetrators of the violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were “all Muslims” and “for the most part Moroccans”.

He called for the attackers to be prosecuted “for terrorism”.

The violence struck amid heightened tensions and polarisation in Europe following a rise in anti-Semitic, anti-Israeli and Islamophobic attacks since the start of the war in Gaza.

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