A nti-R acist A lliance

Spring 1995 Number 1 40p Free to mem bers

DUTCH DITHER
AFFIRMATIVEACTION

ilg p h e m u rd er o f a yo u ng b la c k m an,
K erw in D u in m ije r, by a racist
IB skinhead - c o m m e m o ra te d every year
on A u g ust 2 0 th - has b eco m e th e firs t
sym bol o f th e v io le n t exclu sion o f th e
m illio n plus B lack and m ig ra n t p eople in
D u tch so ciety. D u tch lib erals s till clin g to
th e old m yth th a t, u n lik e th e ir European
neighbours, th e y have k e p t to th e ir tra d i
tion s o f to le ra n c e and w a rm e n te n te .
U nassailable p ro o f is th e ir g o v e rn m e n t's
p ositive ac tio n and in te g ra tio n p olicies. But
th e sta rk re a lity o f th e D u tch B lack c o m m u
nities is best expressed by re ce n t u n e m
p lo ym en t sta tis tic s w h ic h p u t th e m a t th e
b o tto m o f th e heap. W hile c u rre n t u n e m
p lo ym en t am on g w h ite D u tch has reached
11% , th e fig u re s fo r u n e m p lo ye d B lack
people (S u rinam ese, A ru b ean s & C uracaese,
M o lu ccan s, M o ro ccans, T urks) is 3 5 %.
And to rub salt in th e w o u n d , th e D u tch
m edia, u nd er pressure fro m th e fa r-rig h t,
have indulged in w h a t a m o u n ts to a
w itc h h u n t ag ain st re fu g ee s and p o s itive
actio n , all u nd er th e g uise o f "freed o m o f
speech" and "b reakin g th e old a n ti-ra c is t
taboos". U n fo rtu n a te ly th ese d eb ates , w ith
th e ir u n m is ta k a b le h in ts o f P o w e llis m ,
revealed th e tru e n a tu re o f th e old m y th s o f
D u tch to le ra n c e . O nce you scratch th e
surface you fin d a p ro fo u n d ly insecure
p o p u la tio n , en tre n c h e d in its p rivile g e s, and
re lu c ta n t to give in even to th e puny
reform s o f p o s itive a c tio n , q u o tas and
c o n tra c t co m p lian ce.
In th e end, th e sp ec tac le o f D u tc h in te lle c tu
als airin g th e ir tro u b le d co n sciences only
played in to th e hands o f th e fa r-rig h t and
fascists w h o increased th e ir s tre n g th a t th e
election s in citie s lik e R o tte rd a m (1 4 % o f
th e vo te) and A m s te rd a m (fro m 10 up to
2 0 % in som e d is tricts ). T h e re are n o w 8 0
an ti-d e m o c ra tic , ra cist m u n ic ip al cou ncillors
in th e N e th e rlan d s , and th re e e x tre m is t
MEPs fro m th e C e n tru m D e m o c ra te n w e re
elected in M ay 1 9 9 4 .
H o w ever th e fig h t b ack is w e ll u n d er w ay .
Black leaders, as fa r as th e y are p o litic a lly
ind ep en d en t, are o p e n ly c ritic a l o f th e
D u tch in s titu tio n s , and are w a g in g a co u ra
geous fig h t to fo rc e th e im p le m e n ta tio n o f
public policies on p o s itive ac tio n and
in te g re ta tio n in th e ce n tres o f ec o n o m ic and
p o litic al p o w er. S o m e gains w e re m ade -n o tab ly th e rig h t to v o te in local ele ctio n s
and th e exten sio n o f th e w e lfa re system .
But on th e w h o le , ve ry little has chan g ed .

N e d e rla n d b e k e n t K le u r (The N e th e r
lands C onfesses/Show s th e C olour) is th e
m ain a n ti-ra c is t, grass-roots u m b rella
org an isation . It has b eco m e th e m ain
in itia to r o f a n ti-ra c is t m o b ilis a tio n s and
ac tiv itie s . This ye ar th e h ig h lig h t o f th e ir
cam paign w ill be a c o n c e rt in A m s te rd a m
during an anti-racist week from March 21st -26th.

The Anti-Racist
Network for Equality
in Europe comprises
the largest anti
racist organisations
in Europe:
Anti-Racist Alliance,
SOS Racisme
(France), Nero e Non
Solo (Italy), ARCI
(Italy), SOS
Razzismo (Italy),
SOS Racismo
(Spain), SOS
Racismo (Portugal),
SOS Racisme
(Denmark),
Nederland bekent

Kleur (The
Netherlands),
KMAN/ARGAN
(The Nether
lands), MRAX
(Belgium), La voix
des femmes
(Belgium), VISA
(The Nether
lands), SOSRassismus,
Berlin (Germany),
Aktion Courage
(Germany),
Harmony (Ire
land), Appel des
250 (France),
NURO (UK)

" While some o f them

w ill hunt you down
To k ill the rest o f you
The others w ill hold
festivals
To have something to do
And even while they
make o f you
The very first to die
Because o f age-old Dutch
racism
We both know its a lie "

Maurice Di, Kerwin, the

25 August 1984

poem,

Nederland bekent

Kleur is a member o f the

Anti-Racist Network for
Equality in Europe.

M ellouki Cadat

its President.

The Anti-Racist

Network for Equality in

Europe was form ally
launched a t a conference
in London last year
jointly organised by the
ARA and the Association
o f London Authorities.
Among the keynote
speakers were Mme
Danielle M itterrand,
Tony B lair and Pauline
Green MEP.

EUROPEAN ANTI-RACIST NETWORK

LAUNCHES 1995 CAMPAIGNS
1 9 9 5 w ill be a y ea r o f challen g es fo r th e
a n ti-ra c is t m o v e m e n t th ro u g h o u t Eu
rope. This w as th e u nanim ous v ie w o f
d eleg ates to th e G en eral A ssem bly o f
th e E uropean A n ti-R a c is t N e tw o rk fo r
E q u ality in Europe w h o g ath ered in
Brussels to e le c t th e ir S e c re ta ria t fo r
th e fo rth c o m in g y ea r and h am m er o u t a
p ro g ra m m e o f c am p a ig n s.

n the run up to the Intergovernmental

Conference in 1996, the Assembly has
agreed to prioritise a campaign to amend the
Maastricht treaty to include provision on race
matters. As it stands, the Treaty studiously avoids
any mention of race policy letting the European
Union off the hook redarding legislation on these
matters.

The Network has set up a working group to build

on the work already done by a Committee of
Experts and finalise a set of amendments which
will be put to a European consultative conference
due to take place in Rome in July 1995. This
Conference will include anti-racist groups, Black,
migrant and refugees organisations, jurists,
politicians and academics. The ARA is currently

preparing submissions on free movement within

the European Union, and on the prohibition of
discrimination.
Other priorities include an event to mark the
abolition of borders by the Schengen signatory
countries and a roundtable with MEPs in Cannes
at the onset of the French presidency of the
European Union. This will help consolidate the
Network programme of work with MEPs from all
parties.
Finally, a project for an international anti-racist
youth camp in Italy this Summer was submitted
by Nero e Non Solo and approved by the Assem
bly. Since then, SOS Racisme (Spain) have
decided to enlarge their annual Summer camp
near Barcelona to make it an international event
capable of hosting in excess of 1500 young
people.

The ARA has been elected to the sevenstrong Secretariat of the Network and is doing
the administration work.

The ARA has also been elected to repre

sent the Network at the Council of Europe in all
matters dealing with race and xenophobia.