The separation and the alleged racism are related to the aftermath of the violence that broke out in Amsterdam last week.
The Dutch right-wing coalition government seemed to avoid collapse on Saturday, the country’s deputy finance minister Nora Achahbarin after deciding to leave his post late on Friday.
Achahbar announced his resignation after he reportedly accused his cabinet colleagues of making racist comments. Moroccan-born Achahbari’s resignation intentions have raised concerns in the Netherlands that other ministers from his anti-corruption NSC party would follow suit.
Prime minister by Dick Schoof however, the board decided in a crisis meeting to continue together despite Achahbari’s resignation. The prime minister said after the crisis meeting that there has never been racism in his government.
However, Schoof did not answer when asked if slurs such as “fucking Moroccans” were actually presented at the management meeting on Monday, he said The Dutch public broadcasting company NOS.
In his resignation statement, Achahbar no longer mentioned the word racism, but spoke of the “polarized forms of interaction” in recent weeks, due to which he no longer feels he can carry out his duties effectively. According to NOS, it remained unclear what exactly Achahbar meant by this, as he did not answer questions after giving the statement.
The far-right leader blamed the Moroccans
Achahbar’s reported accusations of racism are related to the aftermath of the violence that broke out last week in Amsterdam during a football match between Ajax and the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The leader of the Dutch far-right, Geert Wilders, has blamed “Muslims” and “Moroccans” for the violence against Mackabi fans.
In the aftermath of the attacks, the international community condemned the violence and many claimed it to be anti-Semitic. However, the report published by the local authorities also revealed the role of Israeli supporters in the attacks and skirmishes.