Dutch right-wing cabinet in crisis, party leaders join talks

The Dutch cabinet was thrown into crisis on Friday afternoon after a junior minister resigned, apparently because of discriminatory comments made by other ministers at Monday’s cabinet meeting. Nora Achahbar, an NSC minister who had been charged with sorting out the child benefit scandal compensation scheme, was reportedly shocked by the “extremely racist language” used by the other three parties in the right-wing coalition while discussing the violence in Amsterdam last week. The four coalition party leaders have been summed to join crisis talks at the prime minister’s official residence, the Catshuis on Friday evening. It all depends on whether the NSC continues to support the cabinet or not.” Ministers and the leaders of the three other coalition parties – the far right PVV, pro-countryside BBB and the VVD – have been quick to blame youngsters with Moroccan roots for the attacks on Israeli football fans and others in Amsterdam after the Ajax Maccabi Tel Aviv game last week. They, and prime minister Dick Schoof, spoke of an “integration problem” and said some youngsters with Moroccan roots have “turned their backs” on Dutch values.