Logo Polskiego Radia

Dutch government distances itself from anti-immigration web site

PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle 01.03.2012 13:37
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has told Polish Radio that his government is not responsible for the anti-Polish immigration web site run by nationalist politician Gert Wilders.

/

“This is not a government web site, we support immigration from Central European countries,” he said.

The web site, run by the populist Party for Freedom (PVV), has already been condemned by the EC as "an open call for intolerance" after it calls for Dutch people to inform on central and eastern European immigrants working illegally or are involved in criminal activity.

The Dutch PM refused to condemn the web site, however. “We do not comment on initiatives of Party of Freedom,” he said.

The web site will be discussed at the two-day EU summit currently on in Brussels.

Meanwhile, the Netherland’s immigration minister denied that he was on the defensive before travelling to Poland on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

“I am not going cap in hand – I am speaking as an equal,” Minister Gerd Leers told Dutch daily Volksrant, before his departure.

Minister Leers, whose talks with Polish politicians continued on Thursday, said his aim was to discuss “the background to the problems and how we can solve them.”

Last year, Holland's Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Henk Kamp recommended that migrants from the new EU states who are unable to secure a job within three months should be expelled from the country.

However, the EC has specified that this runs contradictory to EU directives on the freedom of movement. (pg/nh)

Print
Copyright © Polskie Radio S.A About Us Contact Us