Nieuws van de afdeling

17 May 2013

SP and Palestine research body call on pharmacy customers not to help pay for Israeli occupation

Distributing flyers at a pharmacy in Castricum as part of the campaign ‘There’s no beauty in an occupation’, SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel and Nicole Hollenberg of the Palestine research and services group docP today called on shoppers not to buy goods which profit the Israeli occupation.

16 May 2013

Time for rehabilitation of Dutch soldiers who refused to burn village

The Dutch government must hasten the rehabilitation of soldiers who disregarded orders while serving in colonial Indonesia.

15 May 2013

Foreign Minister shares SP concerns over position of Baha’i in Iran

During today’s parliamentary debate on freedom of religion and belief, Minister of Foreign Affairs Frans Timmermans stated his agreement to the call from SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel to draw the Iranian authorities attention to the perilous situation of the Baha’i community in their country. ‘For five years seven Baha’i leaders have languished in prison without justification, simply as a result of their beliefs,’ says Van Bommel. ‘I am extremely worried about this and am pleased that the minister shares these concerns and has agreed to ask the Iranian ambassador to give his attention to this. United Nations human rights experts called on Iran earlier this week to release these religious leaders with immediate effect.’

11 May 2013

Six out of ten truck drivers see no future in road haulage

Unfair competition, exploitation of foreign workers, and dangerous situations on the road, these are just a selection from the stories included in survey forms on the future of the transport sector completed by some 3000 Dutch truck drivers. ‘In recent years I’ve heard a great deal about the problems faced by truck drivers,’ says SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong, ‘but the outcome of this enquiry is nevertheless shocking. Six out of ten do not believe they will be able to continue to drive trucks for a living, given the problems in the sector.’

10 May 2013

Labour migration is a class issue

Jan Marijnissen - On a warm Sunday morning people gathered in the centre of Oss, my home town, all of them men, all of Spanish origin. Everyone else had left town, either to go and enjoy themselves by the Maas or to do a little cycling around Herperduin. It put me in mind of lonely Sunday afternoons during my time at boarding school. What kind of a life must that be? Months away from home, far away from your wife and children?

10 May 2013

Van Bommel: China denies oppression of Tibetans and Uighurs

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel has expressed disappointment at the reactions which he has encountered in China in response to his concerns about the position of minorities there. ‘Reports from human rights organisations have shown time and again the serious abuses of rights, including those of the Tibetan and Uighur communities,’ says Van Bommel. ‘Political bigwigs in China tell me, however, that there’s nothing in these reports and that everything is going extraordinarily well. These reactions show clearly that when it comes to respect for the human rights of minorities in China there’s still a long way to go.’

International