
Geert Wilders, leader of the populist Dutch PVV, uses parliamentary debate to spew out blatant racism, in flagrant defiance of the normal standards in parliament. He has the right to free speech, but the parliamentary chairman has the right to call him to order if he oversteps the mark, says columnist Elsbeth Etty. Elsbeth Etty is a former member of the Dutch Communist Party.
Twenty-five years ago, the Dutch journalists union NVJ conducted an internal debate about the way immigrants were portrayed in the media. The most important recommendations made by the union’s working party were that religion, ethnicity, origin and nationality should only be mentioned when relevant and to avoid generalisations.
In 1989, NRC Handelsblad published a justice ministry report which showed that 33 percent of all young Moroccan men had “registered contact with the police”. Moroccan organisations said the article was “sensational” and “discriminatory”.
Now the bad behaviour of a group of Moroccan youths has hit the headlines again, and the question remains: is their background relevant or not. As in 1989, the answer is yes.
The string of incidents involving these young men has an undeniable social and cultural component and shows a pattern of behaviour which needs to be addressed. And the public's right to know is more important than any unintentional stigmatisation or discrimination.
Free speech
Yes, Wilders does have the right to free speech. But the chairwoman should make sure that what he says does not contravene the rules of parliament – those are the standards and values enshrined in Dutch democracy. And if Wilders does not want to uphold them, he should be removed from the debating chamber.
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