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Spring 2016: an unexpected movement

A call for more protests.

French social climate warms up From the beginning of the year, following the announcement of the labor code reform (“El-Khomri law” or “labor law”), presented to the Council of Ministers on March 9, several demonstrations have been called by the unions. If the CFDT (1) (followed by the CFTC, UNSA and CFE-CGC – the last union modifying its position later) was

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“The government is kicking refugee children around like a football”

Demotour.

Abeda, Akwazi and their little boys Baako and Kojo are living in one of the family accommodations for refugee families. Each day they personally experience what it is like to live in this kind of a semi-prison, under a strict regime and with only the bare minimum of facilities available. On May 21 – 22 and May 28 – 29

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Many welfare recipients again obliged to more than six weeks of forced labour in Leiden

Despite repeated promises many welfare recipients in Leiden are still being obliged to do forced labour for more than six weeks. After this first period of six weeks the work is supposed to be ‘voluntary’ but anyone talking to the forced labourers knows that this is hardly voluntary. Because who would dare to say “no” to those who can cut

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Experimenting with social welfare: join the destroyers, otherwise you are ‘negative’

No, De Ridder, we're not coming round for a talk.

What are the reactions of politicians and others to our criticisms regarding their experiments with benefit receivers? In the first instance they extend an invitation to discuss, to contribute to the design and implementation. If we do not accept, then they label us as ‘negative’. And if we keep on rejecting and criticising, then finally there will be a crackdown.

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Les Indigènes, a good example for the Dutch anti-racist movement?

An interview on the anti-colonial organization Les Indigènes, and their role in the Leftist and anti-racism movements in France. Late 2014, early 2015, a debate took place in the Netherlands between various leftist organizations and Sandew Hira, a historian who has taken the initiative, together with others, to build the Decolonize The Mind (DTM) movement in the Netherlands. The debate

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Racist tide in the Netherlands encounters opposition

The Netherlands are experiencing a wave of racist, sometimes openly violent, actions and street mobilizations, mainly against refugees and the sheltering of refugees. Street mobilizations with an intimidating character have occurred where municipal councils debate whether to establish an AZC (Asielzoekerscentrum, Asylum seekers centre) or an emergency refugee shelter in their city or town. Small scale violence against houses where

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The new unpaid work scheme supervised by the State, in other words: the squandering of voluntary work

Volunteers are vital to keep a large part of society functioning. Voluntary work is crucial in the care sector, in education, in welfare, in the cultural sector, for social, sports and games activities, and more. We as volunteers give our time and energy voluntarily to make the world a little better, to build something together, and to help others. And

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Europe’s right-wing “civil war” against refugees

As right-wing leaders whip up the hatred, it is no longer exaggerated to claim that Europe is on the verge of a low-intensity civil war against refugees. Explosives, heaps of Nazi propaganda and a substantial number of firearms are displayed on a table at the Bamberg police station. They were retrieved from the homes of several neo-Nazis in the Bavarian

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Dutch Racism: Call me a ‘Gutmensch’ in an ouroboros-culture

Only if racism belonged to a completely cooled-down part of our history, a past redeemed of all potential racist reminiscences it can contain for the present, only then could using the n-word in headline of review of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s new book be morally justified. Only in that ideal situation the NRC-reader’s revulsion could be considered as only a empathic illustration

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Film “Do not despair” shows strength and resistance of Indonesian migrants

On March 20 the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (IMWU) for the first time showed the impressive documentary “Dispereert Niet” (“Do not despair”) about Indonesian migrant workers without a residence permit in the Netherlands. The film illustrates how difficult life in illegality is but it does not portray the migrants as “sad cases”. On the contrary, film maker Irwan Ahmett clearly

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