A minister resigns in the face of denigration of the Moroccan community

Tension is rising within the Dutch government following the violence that occurred during the match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel-Aviv on November 7 in Amsterdam. The Minister of Finance, Nora Achahbar, of Moroccan origin, protested against the racist remarks made by some of her colleagues at a Council of Ministers that day. She presented her resignation at a time when a political and media campaign is targeting the Moroccan community with excessive accusations.

This resignation comes two days after Geert Wilders, leader of the far right whose party is a member of the government coalition, called for the removal of supporters of Moroccan origin involved in the violence of their nationality, which triggered a new controversy.

The resigning minister expressed her rejection of the political exploitation of the clashes which took place between supporters of Ajax Amsterdam and those of Maccabi Tel-Aviv. “The polarization of recent weeks has had such an effect on me that I can no longer, nor do I want to, fulfill my duties in this cabinet,” Nora Achahbar said in a statement carried by the Dutch press.

Interior Minister Judith Uitermark called Nora Achahbar’s resignation a “hard blow.” According to sources from the Dutch media, NOS, this decision would have aggravated an already latent crisis within the government coalition.

Nora Achahbar’s resignation also highlights uncertainties regarding the future of other New Social Contract (NSC) ministers in the government. The aforementioned Dutch media outlet pointed out that Prime Minister Dick Schoof could lose his majority in Parliament.

In the process, the leaders of the parties making up the government (PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB) met for “consultations” at Catshuis, the official residence of the Prime Minister, in order to try to find a way out of this political crisis and save the government majority.

As a reminder, several people were injured on the evening of November 7 on the sidelines of the match between Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Ajax in Amsterdam, in clashes described as an “explosion of anti-Semitism” by the city’s mayor. This violence was triggered following provocations by supporters of the Israeli team who chanted slogans attacking the honor of Muslims and removed Palestinian flags hanging in houses during their procession. Acts which caused clashes and clashes between Ajax supporters, some of whom acted in the name of defending the Palestinians, according to videos published on social networks.