Utrecht: Turks accuse gov't of encouraging youth crime, discrimination

An organisation representing Turkish-Dutch parents claims that the Dutch government encourages youth crime by rewarding the perpetrators with clubhouses and subsidies. The more serious the crime level, the more generous the politicians become, it says.


The Utrecht neighbourhood Kanaleneiland has become notorious in recent years for problems with young Moroccans, which led to a ban on forming groups in the area. The neighbourhood is also plagued by about 40 young Turkish troublemakers, the Turkish Parents Foundation (STO) says, but much more attention is paid to the Moroccans. STO chairman Halil Nalbantoglu said in newspaper De Pers that Turkish teenagers are frequently involved in violence and other incidents. Emergency discussions with the local authority were held on this subject last week. "We have warned the council about this, but they repeatedly ignored our request for attention," Nalbantoglu declared.


Turkan Boran, another representative of Turkish parents, said: "Of course there are problems now; our youngsters are extremely frustrated. They know that they have to cause problems in order to get attention. Our children see that the Moroccan troublemakers benefit, thanks to the flood of subsidies."


Boran has "a strong idea that these are the politics of fear". In his view "the troublemakers are being pampered from fear of troubles like those in France," he said referring to the riots in French suburbs that were world news a few years ago.


The Turkish lobbyers claim that the alleged preferential treatment for Moroccans is also visible on the labour market. "So many members of minorities are rejected for training places, but then you do see a Moroccan in employment who barely speaks Dutch," Boran observed. "What effect do you think this has on our children, who are already introvert by nature?"


The Utrecht police does not identify with this situation. "We have seen no shift in the problem," spokesman Karin Kleissen said in De Pers. "Young people with a Turkish background are occasionally involved in incidents. Last week, for example, several youths, including Turks, threw stones at a bus."



Source: NIS (English)

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