By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS (Worthy News) – Recently elected Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said Friday that his loved ones were “astonished” after his first parliamentary debate turned into the most turbulent political session in the Netherlands’ recent political history sparked by sharp disagreements over the role of Islam in society.
“I assume that the disturbed relations if there are any, will be restored quickly,” added Schoof during his first press conference as government leader.“The debate was tougher than I expected. But as a marathon runner, I know this is part of the race.”
His comments followed political drama in which Dutch election winner Geert Wilders publicly slammed Schoof for “not defending” two ministers in his cabinet against accusations that they are racist.
Wilders’ criticism came after Migration Minister Marjolein Faber and Health Minister Fleur Agema made controversial comments about women wearing headscarves.
Both ministers belong to Wilders’ fiercely anti-Islam but pro-Israel Party for Freedom (PVV) party, which seeks to limit immigration.
Faber earlier told Dutch media she was “not really into headscarves.” Agema criticized wearing veils by reposting social media comments encouraging women to remove their headscarves.
The post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, prompted Schoof to interrupt the debate before the parliamentary session resumed after about 20 minutes.
‘WEAK STUFF’
“That was weak stuff,” Wilders said in the lower house of parliament on Thursday after an opposition parliamentarian had called the ministers racist. “When your people are being called racist, I expect from the prime minister, and you’re also my prime minister, that you immediately distance yourself from it,” he said.
Schoof responded that he would choose his “own words” and that he had made clear that none of the cabinet members are racists.
Wilders’ party secured the most seats in the November elections but not enough for government alone. The politician was forced to abandon his effort to become prime minister to forge alliances for the right-wing cabinet.
The leaders of the four coalition parties PVV, liberal-conservative VVD, agriculture-friendly and centrist NSC
agreed to stay out of the cabinet and instead picked the 67-year-old former spy chief Schoof as premier.
Yet Schoof faced a baptism of fire over the head scarf remarks by the two cabinet ministers and other views that critics said were rooted in “a conspiracy theory” with neo-Nazi roots.
Democrats 66 leader Jetten referred to a recent social media post by Faber in which she called parliamentarian Esmah Lahlah a “PvdA-headscarf,” with PvdA meaning the leftist Labour Party.
Jetten demanded that Schoof would look the visible emotional Lahlah in the eye and distance himself from that statement.
HUMAN BEING
Schoof turned to the parliamentarian and said: “The fact that you are wearing a headscarf makes no difference to me. You are a human being to me.”
Lahlah said that the PVV minister’s statement impacted her. Wearing a headscarf was her “own choice,” and she made it freely, she said, adding that other women like her should not feel intimidated.
However, PVV politicians have raised doubts about whether all women are free to choose their lifestyles, saying parts of the Netherlands have faced cultural and religious changes linked to migration from Islamic countries.
Faber and Agema have in the past spoken about “omvolking” — the Dutch term for the “great replacement theory” that supposes that immigrants are deliberately replacing Europe’s white population.
Both ministers have “distanced themselves” from the term, saying they did not realize the Nazi links.
However, they maintained that there was a “worrying demographic development” in the Netherlands, where the ruling coalition now wants to implement the “strictest immigration policy ever.”
Wilders said during the debate that in several areas of the Netherlands, non-Muslim women and men are afraid to walk outside due to verbal and physical attacks, often by Muslim youth.
ANTISEMITISM HATRED
He also expressed concerns about rising antisemitism that he blamed in part on massive migration.
But Schoof reiterated during the debate: “I repeat, this government is against discrimination, racism and exclusion.”
That wasn’t enough for leftist politicians who often reminded Schoof to “be the prime minister for all Dutch citizens,” including the roughly 1 million Muslims in the Netherlands, a seafaring nation of nearly 18 million people.
Schoof admitted to reporters it had been a turbulent few days following Tuesday’s red carpet inauguration ceremony of the cabinet at the palace of Dutch King Willem-Alexander.
He said he hopes the Dutch summer will give the government time to work out its plans, including the “toughest anti-migration” efforts so far.“I trust everyone in the cabinet,” Schoof.
He said he believed he had enough trust from the four coalition parties to head to his first European Union meeting in Brussels and the upcoming summit of the NATO military alliance in Washington.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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