Justice Minister claims "openly sympathising with terrorist groups is not punishable by law'
Hague Mayor states "no bounderies crossed during the demonstration" Simon Wiesenthal Centre urges "Ban ISIS, at least in World War Two the Netherlands put up a fight against the Nazis"
Paris, 25 July 2014
The Simon Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, vigorously protested to Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, the authorisation for another rally in the Hague of the terrorist movement ISIS, calling for "death to the Jews".
The Centre had protested such antisemitic threats at the first such demonstration on 4 July see:
http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=4441467&ct=14065281#.U9Ja3PmSz5M
Yesterday, the call in Arabic and Dutch was for "dirty Jews from the sewers to be killed”. This rally had little to do with Gaza solidarity. It was unambiguously targeted against Jews, but also according to the Dutch press sought to lynch journalists, who were pulled to safety by the police, otherwise serving as silent spectators".
The letter noted that "Islamic Dutch Unity Party leader, Adberazak Khoulani, has publicly endorsed ISIS in Iraq, proclaiming 'Long live ISIS…and Insha’Allah on to Bagdad to fight the riff-raff there…sometimes violence is necessary?'"
Samuels charged that "This language, in fact by implication, applauds ISIS destruction of the ancient Christian communities in Iraq and Syria, mass-murdered together with thousands of Shi’a Muslims in the territory over-run by ISIS, which they claim as their new Caliphate"
The letter pointed to the "The Christen Unie Group which called to ban ISIS demonstrations, but your Foreign Minister, Frans Timmermans, argued for the 'Dutch right to demonstrate', rejecting exceptions when public order is endangered" continuing "moreover, your Justice Minister, Ivo Opstelten has amazingly sent a letter to Parliament claiming that 'openly sympathising with terrorist groups is not punishable by law'".
Samuels stressed that "ISIS is a terrorist organisation that split from Al-Qaeda, which it considered too moderate", adding "yet, Hague Mayor, Jozias Van Aartsen - who is also in charge of the city’s police - for the second time authorized the rally, reportedly stating, 'no boundaries have been crossed during the demonstration'. This suicidal policy could perhaps be best understood in the context of Van Aartsen’s political preferences as seen in his past ties with such figures as Arafat and Milosevic".
The letter stressed that "most disturbing, your Public Prosecutor's press release states
- 'there were only 40 to 50 people present'
- 'the police were present with an Arabic speaking police officer
The slogans overheard by this officer were not considered as crossing boundaries. Hence no arrest was made'.
Mr. Prime Minister, the Youtube clip <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o443KJiBTU> clearly shows many more than 50 participants and the slogans at the end of the clip were repeated and quite evident, 'Maut al-Yahud' (Death to the Jews), 'Khaybar, Khaybar' (The genocide of the Jews of Khaybar) and 'Those who do not jump are Jews'(All the Muslims present jumped).
Our Centre expects you to launch an immediate enquiry into the cover-up by this police officer who betrayed his duty to faithfully translate all slogans – most of which were menacing Jews". The Centre urged the Netherlands "to follow the example of the United Kingdom in banning ISIS and to forbid any further demonstrations in Holland that call for the murder of Jews or any other 'riff-raff'".
"Otherwise, Mr. Khoulani and his Dutch supporters of Jihadism will have no need to go to Baghdad. Baghdad will have come to the Hague.
At least in World War Two, the Netherlands put up a fight against the Nazis", concluded Samuels.