The Dutch wake up to a nightmare
An unpopular truth
[Reprinted from Issues & Views January 17, 2005]
No longer a model to the world, but increasingly a warning of "how good intentions can go wrong." This is how a commentator describes Holland, the Netherlands, after putting aside the multicultural fantasies about the wonders of immigration. In "Exodus as Dutch middle class seek a new life" (London Telegraph, 11/12/04), we learn how reality has caught up to the Dutch, as mass immigration from theThird World floods the tiny country.
In a society where street violence was something that rarely affected the average citizen, crime is escalating out of control. In 2002, the world was shocked by the wanton public murder of political activist Pim Fortuyn -- Holland's first political assassination since the 16th century. Last year, film maker Theo van Gogh was murdered in the street by an Islamic radical, and two members of Parliament have gone into hiding, fearing for their lives.
Transformed and destabilized by a constant flow of mostly Muslim Turks and Moroccan Berbers, the country is no longer recognized by some who remember its cheerful tolerance and civility. In Rotterdam, 47% of the city's population is of foreign origin. It won't be long before a visitor has to search, in order to find a nordic Hollander.
The Telegraph reports that "the political class is chilled to the bone." These are the people who, for decades, contrived and supported open borders immigration policies. Is it surprising that these politicians who fought against citizens like Fortuyn, who advocated restrictive immigration laws, would be useless when needed most?
Here are excerpts from the Telegraph's interviews with Dutch citizens who are among those planning to leave the country for good:
- "This was our 9/11. It was the moment the Netherlands lost its naivety. We always thought that we were the country of multicultural tolerance that could do no wrong."
- "Van Gogh was a very public victim, but there are unknown victims on streets all the time. It's the living climate that is deteriorating."
- "There's a feeling of injustice that if you do things right, if you work hard and pay your taxes, you're punished, and those who don't are rewarded. People can come and live here illegally and get payments. How is that possible?"
- "We hid the problem for a long time because we didn't want to face up to the truth of what was happening."
Farewell Holland, and France, and Germany . . . .
See also: The battle for immigration reform heats up
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