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.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×