Netherlands: Written by Nourredine Al-Omrani
In his traditional Christmas speech, the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, called on all components of Dutch society to show solidarity, especially since the Netherlands has witnessed difficult circumstances, especially after the events that took place in the city of Amsterdam on the night of the match between the Israeli team Maccabi and the Ajax Amsterdam team, following the heated confrontations that led to clashes between the supporters of the Israeli team and Moroccans who pursued the Israelis in the streets of the city after they had torn down the Palestinian flag and attacked Muslim taxi drivers.
Willem-Alexander said that "hatred must not be spread or transferred to our streets" and "otherwise we will be separated in our country." In his speech, he stressed that all citizens, both male and female, are equal before the law and that racial discrimination is unacceptable in our society.

He said that Jews who doubt their future should stay and be part of Dutch society, and that the Netherlands is a Muslim country.

The Prime Minister of the Dutch government had previously tried to calm the situation by meeting with Dutch Muslims and human rights organizations to work together to think about combating racism and Islamophobia.

This happened at the initiative of the Prime Minister of the Dutch government, Dick Schoeve, where many civil and human rights activists were invited, in addition to workers in the social sectors, to participate in an informal dialogue on how to combat various forms of racial discrimination in the Netherlands.

The meeting was held at the headquarters of the interim government council, Kathaus in the capital, The Hague, in the presence of the Prime Minister of the government and the Minister of the Interior and Security, David van Wiel.

The participants in the meeting expressed their dissatisfaction and concern about the escalation of racist campaigns, especially against immigrants and refugees in the Netherlands. During the meeting, human rights activists expressed their anger and condemnation of the statements Politicians led by populist Geert Wilders in parliament and some media professionals who contribute to creating differences between the various components of Dutch society.

The participants demanded that Prime Minister Dick Schoof play his role as Prime Minister in protecting all Dutch people regardless of their nationalities, especially since some parties are still insisting on passing a memorandum that takes into account the cultural and ethnic backgrounds of Dutch people of immigrant origin, which has angered immigrants.

The coordinator in charge of combating racism at the meeting called for the necessity of rejecting such a memorandum, asking the Prime Minister to assume his responsibility in not recognizing anything that offends Dutch citizens, regardless of their nationalities, and to fully adhere to the first chapter of the Dutch constitution, which places citizens, both men and women, equal before the laws and legislation.
For his part, the Prime Minister of the Dutch government, Dick Schoof, stressed in his closing speech that the Dutch society knows different forms of racial discrimination such as anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. He considered the meeting at the government headquarters, Katshaus, with activists from different fields and organizations, to be a very open and very positive meeting, in the presence of the Minister of Justice and Security, David van Wiel. During the meeting, Dick Schoof added that it is unacceptable to attack anyone for religious, ethnic or other reasons. He also expressed his rejection of the events that took place in Amsterdam on the 7th and 8th of last November, and called for the need to confront racism and commit to protecting all citizens, male and female, without anyone being marginalized or excluded.