Dutch Government Averts Collapse Over Amsterdam Violence

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Facts

  • Netherlands' four-party coalition government has survived the resignation Friday of the junior finance minister, Nora Achahbar, despite reports that other ministers of her New Social Contract (NSC) party would also stand down.[1][2]
  • In a press conference held following an emergency meeting with party leaders that night, Prime Minister Dick Schoof said that all of them wanted to remain in the coalition and had agreed to move on.[1][2]
  • If the NSC and its members of parliament had also quit, the coalition would have lost its 88-seat majority in the 150-seat lower house, causing collapse after less than five months in office.[2][3]
  • According to local media, Morocco-born Achahbar resigned over alleged racist remarks about Dutch youth of Moroccan descent in the wake of soccer-related violence in Amsterdam between Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and pro-Palestinian supporters.[4][5]
  • On Sunday, citing insiders from diverse political backgrounds, the NL Times reported that interpersonal language among government officials has been harsher and rougher compared to past administrations.[6]
  • Meanwhile, Geert Wilders, the leader of the Freedom Party (PVV) — the largest party in parliament — blamed Dutch Moroccans for what he described as a 'pogrom' and called for the deportation of those involved in the attacks.[3][7][8]

Sources: [1]DutchNews.nl, [2]Al Jazeera, [3]Dw.Com, [4]Reuters, [5]Breitbart, [6]NL Times, [7]New York Post and [8]Guardian.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by POLITICO. For now, the Dutch coalition stands firm. But as the first cracks in the most ring-wing government ever to lead the country have appeared at an astonishing rate, it's unlikely that differences between the four parties on specific issues will be overcome. The collapse of the coalition is a matter of when, not if.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Europeanconservative. Achahbar may be backing the falsities parroted by the left opposition — that the rhetoric of Wilders and his allies in the cabinet is dividing the country — but her fellow party members have reasserted their commitment to the coalition. As the Netherlands has been witness to an outrageous show of antisemitism at home, it's time to band together and crack down on the attackers.

Predictions