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Pressure mounts on prime minister over 'problem with Poles' websiteTuesday 14 February 2012  Pressure is mounting on prime minister Mark Rutte to make a formal statement about a website set up by the government's alliance partner, the anti-immigration PVV, which calls on people to report complaints about central and eastern Europeans. On Tuesday, the premier again refused to comment about the site, telling MPs during prime minister's questions it is a matter for the PVV only. However, pressure is mounting within and outside the Netherlands for Rutte to distance himself from the site, which places newspaper headlines such as 'Eastern Europeans, increasingly criminal' alongside a complaints hotline. The PVV says the aim of the site is to gain insight into 'problems caused by central and eastern Europeans in terms of crime, alcoholism, drugs use, dumping household waste and prostitution'. European parliament According to the Volkskrant on Tuesday, Martin Schulz, chairman of the European parliament, is to speak to PVV leader Geert Wilders about the website and the parliament is looking into its legality. On Friday, European commissioner Viviane Reding described the site as an 'open call to intolerance', a statement which led Wilders to comment 'Brussels can get stuffed'. European MPs, including Hans van Baalen, leader of the Dutch VVD liberal grouping, have also called on Rutte to speak out. The site is 'vulgar' and 'sick-making', Van Baalen said. Ambassadors The ambassadors of 10 central and eastern European countries have written to the Dutch parliament, stating the website is 'unacceptable'. Wilders described their letter as a 'waste of paper'. Christian Democrat MPs, who form a minority government with Rutte's VVD, have also urged the prime minister to react, and employers' leader Bernard Wientjes said the prime minister should distance himself from the website. In the meantime, the PVV claims the site has attracted over 30,000 complaints. However, thousands of those are expected to be spoof or repeat entries - the website allows people to complain as much as they like. Problems The Netherlands has a population of some 125,000 people from central and eastern Europe, some 80% of whom come from Poland. Most have seasonal jobs in the farming and market gardening sectors. Romanians and Bulgarians are not allowed to work in the Netherlands without a work permit, even though both countries are members of the EU. Last year, local and national politicians called for action to curb the 'tsunami' of Polish and other Eastern European workers in some parts of the country following complaints about overcrowded hostels, public drunkenness and exploitation by fraudulent staffing agencies. Social affairs minister Henk Kamp even called for jobless Poles to be deported, even though this is impossible under EU rules. Opinion pieces
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It's amazing that even with the media being automatically against Wilders that he does so well, imagine the media was neutral or pro Wilders. Just goes to show how important the issues he raises are to ordinary Dutch people, it's a shame the media is controlled by the EU and the political elite and they will stop at nothing to get a cheap global work force. By Phil | February 14, 2012 9:34 AM The bleched blond really destroyed the image of Holland as one of the "most" tolerant countries in the world. Amazing how a good image can be achieved over many, many years and then blown away in no time! If the site is not disciminatory, why are at all nationalities mentioned? If anyone suffers from foreigners having taken over their jobs, why do they have to worry about where they are from?! If I had something taken away from a foreigner, will it matter if the foreigner was a Spanish, Bulgarian, or German? Complete nonesense, which scurely works toward Holland being isolated from its partners in Europe! Hope is, many politicians become political corpses by the end of their term!!! By D. H. | February 14, 2012 10:12 AM Not that I agree with the website. But really, the Prime Minister should have more important things on his mind right now than something petty like this. The bigger deal that is made out of it the more successful it seems. C'mon, its like handling a misbehaving child. By B | February 14, 2012 11:03 AM I am just shocked! The liberal open minded Holland turns around to radical! By minnie | February 14, 2012 1:37 PM EU itself is "founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities... in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail By mark | February 14, 2012 3:39 PM I know MANY ordinary Dutch people Phil...none of whom find his issues very important. In fact, they've been leaving joke comments on his stupid website. Expand your friends list beyond the knuckle-draggers that froth at the mouth. Amazing what you might learn about the REAL ordinary Dutch people. By CW | February 14, 2012 5:27 PM Considering that Rutte continues to be cowardly about taking a stand to protect foreigners, please consider a complaint to the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK). They are responsible for upholding the Constitution and laws of the Netherlands; which includes protecting foreign nationals from discrimination. They are the first step to launching a legal challenge. This can be done via the contact form: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/contact/contactformulier By Quest | February 14, 2012 6:54 PM Thanks for that last comment CW; I've been holding back, holding back - you couldn't have said it better. Indeed, my 'normal' Dutch friends dislike Wilders even more than I do. They clearly understand the serious damage he is doing both internally and externally to the their country. By Bill | February 15, 2012 6:44 AM Excellent, Quest! This is the way. By Lefty | February 15, 2012 6:49 AM Wilders clearly has a support base of citizens who support his manifesto. You can not discard that fact; he speaks for a group of society. Saying that these people are knuckle draggers is arrogant - they share a different view to you. I'm sure they cannot understand how you can be missing some obviously blatant problem or fact. If the Dutch are so tolerant as claimed, they should be tolerant to the group of people in Holland who support Wilders, whatever that may mean. By Anonymous | February 15, 2012 8:35 PM "crime, alcoholism, drugs use, dumping household waste and prostitution" I think I will comply and complain about that frequently, this Polish prostitute I've heard of, uses drugs and alcohol when stealing dumped household waste. "Media controlled by the EU"? Oh, I thought all media was controlled by the jews ... or was it the Poles? ... And indeed it's strange that some would appreciate a skilled, efficient work force at competitive prices. By AR | February 16, 2012 10:46 AM I spent 6 aanzimg years in the Netherlands and this made me nostalgic. I fondly remember having beschuit met muisjes after the birth of my first daughter. It was a magical place and a magical time for me. Thanks for the reminder. By Sammy | February 24, 2012 12:12 AM
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Anyone else notice how Hungarians are not on his list?Nothing to do with his jobless Hungarian wife of course.
By jason buttle | February 14, 2012 9:14 AM