| Dutch Database Idea Struck Down |
By BBC Caribbean
August 14, 2007
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A Dutch court has struck down a law that gave municipalities in Holland the right to create a database of all residents who emigrated to that European country from the Dutch Caribbean.
It's a ruling that is being welcomed in the Netherlands Antilles. |
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| The controversial legislation was introduced by former immigration minister Rita Verdonk, who gave the go ahead to 21 municipalities who wanted to create a central database to store personal information on people living in Holland who come from Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles. |
| The committee for the protection of personal data was given the green light to set-up the registration system. |
| Judge rules against database |
| But now a court in The Hague has called for it to be scrapped. |
| A Judge ruled in favour of an organisation representing Dutch Caribbean residents living in Holland, who claimed that the registration system discriminated against them, especially since other Dutch nationals wouldn't be included in the database. |
| Curacao based Senator, Pedro Attacho has hailed the ruling as a welcome development. |
| He called it "a victory for the organisations of Dutch Caribbeans in Holland.". |
| Speaking from his office in Curacao, he labelled the registration system "a racial registration system" he insisted was "in violation of equal status among Dutch citizens in the Kingdom.". |
| Former minister Rita Verdonk sparked outrage among immigrant groups in the Netherlands during her time in office with her hardline policies. |
| She had pushed for legislation to expel young Antillean youths back to the Caribbean, if they were found to be involved in criminal activities in Holland. |
| That proposal was attacked by the country's MPs and was dropped by the recently elected Dutch government. |
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