Dutch coalition averts collapse after Finance Secretary quits over racist remarks

Last week, Party for Freedom leader, Geert Wilders, blamed Moroccans for the violence, claiming that ''we saw Muslims hunting Jews'' and added it was fuelled by ''Moroccans who want to destroy Jews.''

Wilders said those convicted of involvement should be deported if they have dual nationality.

On Friday, Morocco-born Nora Achahbar of the centrist New Social Contract party announced her resignation as finance secretary.

She said, ''the polarising manners have had such an impact on me that I could, or would, no longer fulfil my role as state secretary.''

In a statement, Achahbar wrote ''polarisation in society is dangerous because it undermines the bond between people. Because of that, we start seeing each other as opponent instead of fellow citizens.''

Prime Minister Dick Schoof said after the resignation that among the four coalition parties ''we saw that we wanted to continue'', and denied there was racism involved in the talks of and among leading coalition officials.

While politicians condemned antisemitism and agreed that perpetrators of the violence should be prosecuted and handed harsh punishments, opposition legislators accused Geert Wilders of inflaming the situation.

Wilders, whose party became the biggest in last year's election, also sowed some dissent within the four-party coalition with his comments.

The leader of the Green-left-Socialist opposition, Frans Timmermans, lauded Achahbar even before any move was announced.

''In this government, racist remarks are the order of the day. This government is not for all Dutch people,'' he said.

Violence erupted in the Dutch capital before and after last week's football match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Fans from both sides were involved in unrest.

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