Netherlands: Racism and fascism (1)
01 January 1991
Netherlands: Racism and fascism
artdoc April=1995
German-Dutch neo-nazi links
After German police moved to prevent neo-nazis' annual
commemoration of Rudolf Hess's death, German neo-nazis attempted
to stage the event in Holland. Dutch events were coordinated by
the Wunsiedel Committee under the leadership of Eite Homan who
also heads the `Groningen Artiefront Nationale Socialisten'.
Groningen police claim they were powerless to intervene but that
in future they would watch Homan more closely (NN 9.9.94).
In Nijmegen, seventy neo-nazis from the German and Dutch
sections of the Aktiefront Nationale Socialisten attempted to
hold a demonstration to protest against German laws that prohibit
membership of certain neo-nazi groups. When Nijmegen police
prevented the assembled neo-nazis from marching, the fascists
descended on Venlo, where the police took the same action again,
this time calling in the riot squad (NN 22.7.94).
Far Right muscle in on Friesland commemoration
Each year, on 26 September, the people of Friesland gather to
mark the 1345 victory of a local peasant army over an invading
force from Holland. But for the last two years, neo-nazis have
attempted to take over an event which is seen as more cultural
than political in its focus.
When `Fryske Beweging', the event's organisers, decided to make
anti-fascism the central theme of this year's commemoration,
CP'86 staged its own mobilisation at the monument to the 1345
victory, which is the central focus of the day's rally.
Organisers say that the CP'86 went on to vandalise the monument
as the police stood idly by.
The `Fryske Beweging' committee is also angry at the behaviour
of the Mayor of Nijefurd, the village where the commemoration is
traditionally held. Prior to the day, the Mayor had attempted to
ban the Fryske Beweging's anti-fascist event on the grounds that
`it could be seen as a provocative act by the far-Right.'
Following adverse publicity, she relented on this decision, but
only on the condition that no-one be allowed to gather in the
area before 12am on the day of the rally. Furthermore, the Fryske
Beweging were prohibited from organising its own stewards.
Needless to say, anti-fascists were furious when they realised
that the fascists had been allowed to gather at the monument that
morning even before the Fryske Beweging event took place (NN,
23.9, 7.10.94, De Volkskrant 26.9.94).
CP'86 candidate's criminal record exposed
Anti-fascists in Haarlemmerbuurt say that Richard Emmelkamp, who
recently ran as a CP'86 candidate in the Amsterdam local
elections, has several convictions for racial violence. For
instance, in 1993 he was sent to prison for five months for an
attack on a black man (NN 22.7.94).
CD member jailed
A member of the far-Right Centrum Demokraten has been found
guilty of attempted murder and sent to prison for six years. In
1979, Ygo Gramangets petrol-bombed an official centre for drug
users in Lijnbaansgracht, Amsterdam (Het Parool 28.9.94).
Elected councillors ditch CD
Seventy-seven elected councillors have resigned from the CD
following public protests against the party. The latest
resignations happened in Utrecht when three members of the CD
crossed over to the `Nederlands Blok' saying that the CD was too
radical for them (Trouw 27.10.94).
Secretary of Burgerparty to be prosecuted
The secretary of the `Burgerparty Nederland' is to be prosecuted
after handing out racist leaflets in a neighbourhood where an
asylum-centre is based (De Volkskrant 27.10. 94).
Amsterdam city council accused of anti-Roma racism
The Mayor of Amsterdam, Schelto Patijn, has admitted that a
letter the City Council wrote to a group of 85 Romany camping at
a site in the city's western port district `should never have
been written'. In the letter, written shortly after the Romany
arrived at the council site in June, the Amsterdam authorities
told the Romany that they were