Government parties D66 and ChristenUnie did not get a majority from the Chamber for apologizing to the cabinet.
CDA group chairman Pieter Heerma said he wanted more attention in education for discrimination and also felt for a national museum about the history of slavery. But he doesn’t feel anything for excuses. “I myself am not convinced of the need to apologize after so long, after 150 years.”
National holiday
Labor party leader Lodewijk Asscher made a plea to make Keti Koti, the celebration of the abolition of slavery on July 1, a national holiday. “Being against racism is not left or right, but a sign of civilization.” His party is in favor of apologies for the slavery past.
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GroenLinks also wants to express regret from Rutte. “To work on a shared future, we also have to recognize our shared past together,” said GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver. But despite the plea from the left parties for apologies from the cabinet, VVD, CDA, PVV, FvD, Haga and the SGP do not support this.
‘Talking fear’
In the same debate, many parties reacted angrily to PVV leader Geert Wilders, who brushed aside proposals to reflect more consciously on the past of slavery. Wilders denies that there is a racism problem in the Netherlands. “It is not bad here with discrimination. That is just raising fear.”
D66 group leader Rob Jetten asked the PVV leader ‘what message he has for the thousands of young people who watch this debate’ who are hoping for a solution. Wilders rebounded that he would warn them of Jetten’s “scare”. “You put the Dutch in the wrong corner. You are wrong and stigmatizing,” said Wilders.
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