DutchNews.nl - DutchNews.nl brings daily news from The Netherlands in English

22 October 2025
Newsletter Donate Advertise
  • News
  • Life in the Netherlands
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
  • Search
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Election 2025
  • Art and culture
  • Sport
  • Europe
  • Society
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Housing
  • Education
  • News
    • Home
    • Economy
    • Election 2025
    • Art and culture
    • Sport
    • Europe
    • Society
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
    • Education
  • Life in the Netherlands
    • Latest
    • Opinion
    • Books
    • Travel
    • 10 Questions
    • Learning Dutch
    • Inburgering with DN
    • Food & Drink
    • Ask us anything
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Advertise
    • Writing for Dutch News
    • Contact us
    • Privacy
    • Newsletter
  • Search

Denk manifesto calls for discrimination ban and Israel sanctions

September 30, 2025
Denk leader Stephan van Baarle. Photo: John Beckmann/DeFodi Images via ANP

Left-wing political party Denk has called for a “discrimination deadline” of 2030 to be set for all government institutions in its manifesto for next month’s election.

The party said “discrimination and the poison of exclusion has penetrated the government itself” with the formation of the last cabinet, which included Geert Wilders’ far-right PVV.

Denk accused the other coalition partners – VVD, NSC and BBB – of having “opened a dangerous route to normalising the fascist ideas of Wilders”.

Despite discrimination being banned under Article 1 of the Dutch constitution, Denk said many people in the Netherlands were excluded or marginalised on the grounds of their origin, gender, religion or “other kind of group label”.

The party, which draws most of its vote from minority ethnic communities, is also calling for much tougher sanctions against Israel, including an end to all military and economic co-operation.

Sanctions on Israel

That would include an arms embargo and the withdrawal of Dutch pension fund capital invested in Israeli companies, as well as cutting subsidies for pro-Israel lobby groups.

Denk’s manifesto includes the slogan “From the river to the sea”, which other parties have condemned as expressing a desire to see Israel obliterated.

Denk leader Stephan van Baarle said the statement symbolised the wish for freedom for the Palestinian people.

Denk is also proposing measures to combat poverty, including free breakfast and lunches at school in deprived neighbourhoods and comprehensive secondary schooling so that pupils can move more easily between streams.

Schools should allow pupils to take “religious leave” for holidays such as Eid and Diwali, but the party also wants to allow more time off for significant life events such as bereavement or the death of a child.

Leadership row

Denk is currently projected to win between three and five seats in the election, possibly adding to its current three.

The party was embroiled in a leadership row last month when Van Baarle resigned as leader, accusing the executive board of interfering in the selection of candidates for the election.

Chairman Edjer Köse and the rest of the board then quit, at which point Van Baarle was reinstated at the head of the list of candidates, followed by the party’s othe two MPs, Dogukan Ergin and Ismail el Abassii. The next two candidates are both women, Elif Esen and Nassira Abaaziz.

Share this article
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Copy URL
Discrimination Election 2025 Israel Politics
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation
Latest
Show more
Code amber storm warning for coastal areas on Thursday evening
Frikandel out of favour? The Dutch are eating much less meat
Election watch: voters are getting older; development aid plans
Half of LGBT asylum seekers harassed or threatened, COC finds
PostNL fights fire with fire, using a robotic dog postie
NewsHomeEconomyElection 2025Art and cultureSportEuropeSocietyEnvironmentHealthHousingEducation
Life in the NetherlandsLatestOpinionBooksTravel10 QuestionsLearning DutchInburgering with DNFood & DrinkAsk us anything
About usTeamDonateAdvertiseWriting for Dutch NewsContact usPrivacyNewsletter
© 2025 DutchNews | Cookie settings

Help us to keep providing you with up-to-date news about this month's Dutch general election.

Our thanks to everyone who donates regularly to Dutch News. It costs money to produce our daily news service, our original features and daily newsletters, and we could not do it without you.

If you have not yet made a donation, or did so a while ago, you can do so via these links

The DutchNews.nl team

Donate now

Dutchnews Survey

Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey.

Take part now