Dutch minister quits over far-right's racist slurs but govt avoids crisis

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof's right-wing government averted a crisis when a junior minister resigned over "racist" remarks by cabinet colleagues, but the coalition government will remain in place.

Deputy Finance Minister Nora Achahbar handed her resignation late on Friday, as the Netherlands grapples with the political fallout of last week's violence caused by Israeli hooligans.

Her departure prompted speculation that other members of the New Social Contract (NSC) party — a junior partner in the four-party Dutch coalition government — would follow suit.

But late on Friday, Schoof told journalists at a press conference that party leaders decided to continue to work together, averting the potential fall of his not-yet-five-month-old government.

"Nora Achahbar has decided not to continue as Deputy Minister," the premier said.

"But as the cabinet, we decided to continue together," Schoof said after a five-hour emergency meeting with his coalition partners at his official residence in The Hague.

Achahbar, who is of Moroccan descent, decided to exit the government after a heated cabinet meeting discussing last week's violence on the streets of Amsterdam after a football match between local club Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

"The polarising interactions of the past weeks made such an impact on me that I am no longer able to effectively carry out my duties as deputy minister," Achahbar said in her resignation letter to parliament on Friday.

The junior minister's resignation came "unexpectedly and impacted me and other cabinet members", PM Schoof said, adding, "There has never been any racism in my government or in the coalition parties".

'Racist statements'

The Dutch government officially announced Achahbar's resignation in a statement late on Friday.

"The King, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, granted this resignation in the most honourable manner," the government statement said.

On Monday, during the cabinet meeting to discuss the attacks, "things reportedly got heated, and in Achahbar's opinion, racist statements were made," the NOS public broadcaster said.

"Achahbar reportedly indicated then that she, as a minister, had objections to certain language used by her colleagues," NOS added.

Coalition party leaders gathered in The Hague for an emergency session on Friday evening to discuss the current crisis, with NSC acting leader Nicolien van Vroonhoven saying beforehand, "We will see" if her party wanted to continue in the government coalition.

Far-right leader Geert Wilders' Freedom Party won the most seats in Dutch elections a year ago, but the coalition it formed would lose its majority if the NSC pulled out of the government.

Israel-caused violence

Violence erupted in the Dutch capital before and after last week's football match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Israeli hooligans chanted racist anti-Arab slogans, tore down Palestinian flags and ignored a minute of silence for the Spanish flood victims.

After the match, a large group of Maccabi supporters armed with sticks ran around "destroying things," a 12-page report on the violence issued by Amsterdam authorities said.

Far-right leader Wilders falsely claimed during a debate on Wednesday that the perpetrators of the violence were "all Muslims" and "for the most part Moroccans".

He called for the attackers to be prosecuted "for terrorism".

The violence badly tarnished Amsterdam's long-held image as a haven of tolerance and sparked soul-searching across the country.

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Source: TRT