By Debbie van Eijk
The reality is more nuanced. Indeed, the first reaction of various Westland factions was one of ‘burying their heels in the sand’. VVD Westland faction leader Guus Bakker indicated in front of the NOS camera that he did not know how to justify the support of the national VVD department to the Westland voters. Gemeentebelang Westland, in the person of faction chairman Remmert Keizer, also answers the question ‘Do you want to comply with the distribution law?’ negative. LPF Westland faction leader Dave van Koppen states that there are simply no more houses available in Westland.
The fact that the dispersal law is being introduced is precisely because of these types of municipalities
Although no asylum seekers will come here, if it were up to the majority of the Westland municipal council, RTL Nieuws points out that it will have to. Public administration expert John Bijl even says: “The distribution law is being introduced precisely because of these types of municipalities”, an opinion that Trouw adopts. In an article on the same subject, that newspaper headlines: ‘The Westland opposes a dispersal law that it itself has provoked’, and cites the Islamic primary school in Naaldwijk as an earlier phenomenon that the Westland municipal council opposed – in vain. That school has been active since 2022.
Wet is wet
There are also factions that do not strongly oppose the dispersal law, but more or less accept that Westland will have to go along with it. For example, Kevin Klinkspoor, municipal councilor for CDA Westland, thinks that the number of approximately 700 asylum seekers could perhaps be shared with other municipalities. Benjamin Hofland indicates to Trouw that the municipal council will not be able to prevent asylum seekers from coming to live here. Mayor Bouke Arends also pointed out in a radio program that Westland will have to comply with the law.
Refusal municipality
In any case, Westland is portrayed in the media as the refusal municipality in the Netherlands. From NRC to PowNed. It is in line with previous media reporting, even by a Belgian broadcaster, which characterizes Westland as ‘a conservative municipality’.
Westland is heavily lampooned in columns and satirical programmes. Or scolded. “Don’t buy anything in the Westland,” writes historian Han van der Horst on BNNVara, and: “The benefits, not the burdens, that is the mentality. And anyone who says something about it can get a big mouthful. If it stays at that.”
Marcel van Roosmalen says on NPO Radio 1: “We now live in a Netherlands where you can say out loud without shame that you hate asylum seekers and/or refugees, or more specifically Africans and Muslims” and points out that Westland would employ ‘20,000 migrant workers’. exploitation in the greenhouses.
Spot
Arjen Lubach makes fun of faction leaders Remmert Keizer and Peter Duijsens (Westland Verstandig). When Keizer roars in front of the camera of the program De Avondshow with Arjen Lubach: “We will not allow anything to be imposed on us, certainly not by a bunch of people in the Senate who should have made a different decision,” Lubach’s comment is: “That’s how it should be work, the Senate expresses the will of the municipality of Westland.” The show also shows a fragment of an old council meeting with Duijsens speaking: “We have to look at support in Westland and I guarantee you, I will give you a note, that support is not there,” says Duijsens, after which Lubach the logic behind the name ‘Westland Sensible‘ is up for discussion.
The relevant broadcast of De Avondshow with Arjen Lubach is here to watch.
