Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Dutch border police barred from ethnic profiling

Dutch border police barred from ethnic profiling

Campaigners have hailed a Dutch appeal court ruling that military police can no longer use race or ethnicity as reasons for checks at the border.
The judges found that the force had been guilty of ethnic profiling.

Using race "without objective and reasonable justification" was a particularly serious form of discrimination, they found.

Mpanzu Bamenga, who was himself challenged on the border, said it was a landmark case for millions of people.

"Really it's a historic victory, not only for me but for many people in the Netherlands who have been fighting against racism and racial profiling and for equal opportunities," he told the BBC.

A spokesman for the Royal Netherlands Marechausee force said it was now studying the verdict. But he pointed out that the government had now told parliament that profiling would no longer take place during spot checks on travellers inside Europe's border-free Schengen zone.

The Netherlands is part of Schengen, which means checks have been abolished for nationals of the 27 countries crossing internal borders by air, rail or road. However, police are entitled to carry out spot checks based on information and experience. Dutch police also check on people's rights to stay in the Netherlands.

The case began when Mr Bamenga, a lawyer and ex-councillor, was taken aside by the Marechausee as he returned by air to the southern city of Eindhoven from a trip to Italy in 2018. He then realised another man and a woman, both of whom were black, were also being stopped.

When he challenged an officer at the airport, he was told that the border police had the power under Dutch law to stop people, as they were looking for criminals and refugees and checking residents' rights. He took to social media and after his story went viral, he was told police had been searching for a well-dressed Nigerian smuggler who did not look Dutch.

Human rights groups joined him in taking the case to a court in The Hague, which in 2021 cleared the Marechausee of ethnic profiling and said its policy did not breach discrimination laws. The force then announced it would no longer use ethnicity as a deciding factor.

On Tuesday, the Dutch appeal court overturned the original legal ruling, as the judge said the policy had led to people with a skin colour other than white feeling like second-class citizens.

Mr Bamenga said the ruling would have ramifications for other European countries that use profiling and that the European Commission and Council of Europe had been following the case.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
JD Vance Warns Europe Faces “Civilizational Suicide” Over Open Borders and Speech Limits
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
×