International

The Senate today distanced itself by a huge majority from a proposal from the far right PVV to exclude 1.3 million Dutch citizens from jobs with the police, judicial services and defence forces on no other grounds that they hold dual citizenship. The exclusion would apply to all such citizens, without exception. SP Senate leader Tiny Kox expressed his delight at the Senate reaction to this scandalous PVV proposal, which goes against the Constitution, fundamental rights and traditions of the Netherlands.

‘The PVV wants to exclude – in advance and without exception – 1.3 million Dutch citizens from any and every function with the police, judicial services or defence forces,” says Senator Kox. “As far as I can work out, no-one has ever before brought such a resolution before the Senate. The only previous occasion on which an a priori exclusion of Dutch citizens from a public service took place was in the autumn of 1940, under the Nazi occupation, when Jewish people were banned from being civil servants or public officials. This proposal conflicts with the Constitution and with basic rights. The Senate rightly threw it straight into the bin.”