A major crisis has been unfolding within the Dutch Government as a consequence of the anti-Israeli violence following a Europa League football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam on November 7.
A split occurred within the Dutch cabinet when Nora Achahbar, State Secretary for Benefits and Customs, resigned on November 15 over statements by her colleagues a few days earlier during heated discussions on the matter, which she deemed racist.
Geert Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party (PVV), the biggest party in the coalition, and a staunch supporter of Israel, has been vocal — writing on X on November 13, he blamed Moroccans, whom he said “hunted Jews”.
“We have a Moroccan problem,” he said, adding he wanted to take away Dutch nationality for Moroccans in the country.
All other governing parties also mentioned migrants and Islam. Prime Minister Dick Schoof spoke of an “integration problem”.
On the Right, some observers have said that the resignation of Achahbar did not symbolise a stance against racism but instead indicated “tribalism”, with a state secretary of Moroccan descent apparently defending Moroccan rioters over victims of anti-Semitism.
Since the departure of Achahbar, there has been an atmosphere of crisis, with ministers of all coalition parties talking separately about how to move on.
Now, the rest of Achahbar’s party, the centrist Christian Democrat New Social Contract (NSC) Party, has allegedly threatened to withdraw from the government, leaving the right-wing cabinet without a majority.
Insiders claimed all ministers cleared their agendas for the rest of the day on November 15, indicating to many the severity of the crisis. The cabinet is now working urgently to keep the coalition together.
At 6pm, group chairs from all the governing parties were set to come together and discuss the matter.
Dutch journalists have been monitoring the government’s main building since rumours of Achahbar resignation surfaced.
Crisis in het Catshuis. pic.twitter.com/Q9e0Cq9MeC
— Mike Muller (@_MikeMuller) November 15, 2024
Achahbar, who has a Moroccan background, is the second New Social Contract (NSC) politician to resign from the government.
She was preceded by Folkert Idsinga, who was state secretary for tax, who refused to disclose his retirement savings, which allegedly involved business interests and could create conflicts of interest.
On November 1, Idsinga resigned, citing a lack of trust from the parliament. He denied misconduct and later offered an outline of his financial interests as a private citizen.
The NSC has reportedly been uncomfortable in forming a right-wing government from the start.
Pieter Omtzigt, President of the NSC, was hesitant during the recent coalition formation talks and pulled out altogether at one point.
The party has often appeared unhappy and polls have indicated most of voters turned their back on it, indicating NSC would only keep three or four seats in new elections after having scored 20 in the November 2023 elections.
In mid-September, Omtzigt’s said he had “health issues” and announced he would temporarily take a step back, giving the reign to the vice-president of the party.
He said he would continue to work for the NSC, “from the back”. Omtzigt is reported to be struggling with extreme exhaustion.
The left-wing opposition reacted positively on Achahbar’s resignation. Frans Timmermans, who leads the coalition of Socialists and Greens, said he was “absolutely right to draw a line”.
“Racist remarks are the order of the day” at the right-wing government, he stated.
“This cabinet does not serve all Dutch people. That damages the already fragile trust in our society. I want to debate this issue quickly.”
Left-liberal D66 leader Rob Jetten praised Achahbar for “keeping her back straight” and added that racism had no place at the heart of the government.
The opposition said it wanted a debate on the alleged racist remarks.
The Eurofederalist Volt Party, meanwhile, had two members quit over its perceived weak stance on the anti-Israeli violence in Amsterdam.
“Anti-Semitism is denied and trivialised. It seems like an opinion, too controversial to condemn,” they said in an open letter to the party.
“We see people who supposedly stand up for all minorities, but do not do so when it comes to Jews.”
