DutchNews.nl - Ethnic registration is illegal: watchdog

Ethnic registration is illegal: watchdog

Friday 10 April 2009

Local councils which are registering the ethnic origins of young trouble makers and other at-risk youngsters have been ordered to stop it immediately by the privacy watchdog CBP.

In 2006, 21 local authority areas with a high concentration of immigrants from the Caribbean Antilles islands were given permission to register the ethnic origin of young troublemakers. But that permit expired last December and no new permit has been applied for, the CBP says.

Therefore 'there is no legal foundation for processing ethnic details,' the CBP said in a statement on its website. 'This means that the use of these particular personal details... is illegal and should be stopped immediately.'

At the end of last year, the government dropped plans to set up a national data bank with information on young Antillean and Aruban trouble-makers. The government's highest advisory body, the council of state, said earlier that the register could be set up because it was in the public interest.

According to the Volkskrant, Rotterdam has been recording the ethnic origin of troublemakers since 2002.

Supporters of registration say it would allow campaigns and support to be targeted at specific groups.

Opponents say it is stigmatising to regard third-generation immigrants as not being Dutch.

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Readers' comments

What's wrong with giving credit where credit is due? Sometimes the credit looks good for a person and sometimes bad, but if has been earned, then it is the cold hard truth! Why be shy about it? If these people are not pround of who there are and where the come from, maybe they need to make a change in their lifestyle.

By DB | April 10, 2009 9:24 AM

Even in USA people apply for a job and give their ethnic background color of skin, etc. How in hell do you describe someone if a dead body is found or the person is missing, or wanted by the police? What kind of discription do you give?

By sandra | April 10, 2009 12:56 PM

@sandra: Their is a difference between physical descriptions and "ethnic" information. Plus registerations of the 'unwanted' is a Nazi tactic. I think the Netherlands can adopt far better tactics than targetting you with literature because you happen to be different(not white)!

By Barakzai Van Utrecht | April 10, 2009 3:31 PM

I live in the US and am a US citizen. Almost every form I fill in asks my race.
For that matter, Americans always describe me as "Dutch" because I have a lot of ethnic Dutch ancestry and a Dutch surname. I find it tiresome at times, as my family left the Netherlands hundreds of years ago, but it seems we cannot escape who we are ethnically, even if we may wish to do so. Others will always classify us. Does it really matter all that much anyway?

By Pieter | April 10, 2009 4:48 PM

It is totally unacceptable declaring ethnic backgroud, religion, colour of the skin to apply for a war..indeed i consider it as a nazi tactic.
However for the criminals, their name and full details (not skin or religion)..shopuld be reported because this is totally irrelvant info.

By kostas | April 10, 2009 5:24 PM

What is in a name you may ask ? Just refer to the history books and if they are worth their salt as by name, then you will find that, Its very ironic when new european settlers who invaded and settled into foreign lands i.e. Australia, Americas, Africa, Asia etc, prefer and insist on being from those respective continents, but the reality is far from it. For example, I live in Australia or America or Asia or Africa but my fore-parents are from East or West Europe or Scandinavia etc, so naturally by origin, i am european or scandinavian but happen to live in Australia, America, Africa or Asia as a local national but in real i am classified as a foreigner or an immigrant, because the true natural origins of say Australia are (Aborigines), Americas are (Ameri-indians), Africa are Africans) and Asia are (Asians). Suffice to say, that all desendents of europeans and scandinavians settled outside their fore-parents natural countries of origin would in this case be regarded as national foreigners or immigrants.

By Small Brother | April 13, 2009 11:41 AM

I am like you Pieter, except I am a UK citizen.
My Dutch Ancestry goes back a long way. Whenever I am faced with this question, I always put "other white european".
You say "does it really matter that much anyway" Well in the UK it does, as this government and jobsworths like poking their nose into peoples private lives. However, whenever I am questioned about my Ethnicticy, I simply say that I wish to be known as either "other white european" or "Dutch" as I am ashamed to be classed as British.
They soon get the message.

By Karl H | April 13, 2009 2:51 PM