Refugee settlement agency COA has cancelled plans to take a group of youngsters to the Efteling amusement park following intervention by immigration minister Marjolein Faber.

The May 17 trip was an attempt by a small refugee centre in Friesland to avoid clashes between local youths and young residents during the Saturday of the Sint Annaparochie village fair.

In 2024, three local teenagers were reportedly stabbed by refugee centre residents in a fight. The perpetrators have since been moved to another location, but tensions in the village remain high, according to local newspaper Leeuwarder Courant.

The continuing unease prompted staff to organise the annual day trip to coincide with the village event. The centre has a budget for excursions and activities.

However, Faber wrote on social media on Thursday evening that she considers the idea “on-uit-leg-baar” (impossible to explain) and criticised it as a “fun day out at the taxpayer’s expense”.

“We are not going to do this and I am going to talk to the COA about it,” the minister said.

The COA has now agreed to come up with a different plan for the youngsters, partly in order to keep them out of the spotlight