It appears that routine searches of one’s home to check for a vast array of “problems” are now performed door-to-door in The Netherlands. The city of The Hague is inspecting all homes in a number of neighborhoods. One resident, that apparently told these people to bugger off at a previous occasion, got a threatening letter. Translated to English, it says:
Subject: Inspection regarding occupancy relating to The Hague Residence Brigade
In The Hague, we want pleasant and safe neighborhoods. For this reason, we are inspecting all homes in your neighborhood. For each address, we will see if the rules and regulations are met.
The residence you own at <blank> was visited by our team on the 10th of June2009, but we were refused entrance.
On Thursday the 25h of June between 13:00 and 14:00 your residence will be visited again by a team of the “The Hague Residence Brigade” led by the City Planning Office. We will verify the state of the building, (fire) safety and the actual use of the residence.
All rooms of the residence are subject to this inspection. The cooperation of all residents is therefore a necessity.
We’d like to point out that this is not a voluntary inspection. You are obliged to cooperate. If you refuse to cooperate , we’d like to point out that we are legally entitled to enter the premises with a legal warrant and without the cooperation of the owner and/or occupant(s).
If the date or time are not convenient for you, you have the option to, within 5 working days after postmark of this letter, call the above number Monday through Friday between 08:00 and 16:00.
If an illegal situation is found during the investigation, you will receive notice about further proceedings as soon as possible.
We trust his letter has provided you with all the necessary information.
City Planning Office
Department for Building, Inspection and ServiceMs. C. Kolenmijn
Inspector Project The Hague Residence Brigade
Note the sentence “In The Hague, we want pleasant and safe neighborhoods”, stifling any criticism before it even got underway. I remember when “safe” was when the government didn’t get to search your house without a suspicion and decent legal oversight. A look at the website of the municipality sheds some further light on this operation:
Since the 15th of April the The Hague Residence Brigade is active in three The Hague power neighborhoods: Transvaal, Stationsbuurt/Rivierenbuurt and Schilderswijk. The The Hague Residence Brigade (the former “catch-up enforcement”) targets, among other things, over-population, mariuana plantations and social benefit fraud. By tackling these problems, the city intends to create safer and more livable neighborhoods.
[...]
The Brigade also checks whether occupants are registered with the municipality and traces social benefit fraud. For this purpose a team has been formed from many different municipal services which cooperates with the police, fire brigade, tax authorities and the local energy company. This integrated approach allows for the effective handling of a wide variety of problems.
It gets downright ominous and scary further down. In what sounds like a bad parody, The Hague tells its inhabitants: “We’re from the government and we’re here to help”:
In the past three neighborhoods in The Hague have been inspected by this team (Regentesse-, Valkenboskwartier, Rustenburg/Oostenbroek and Laak). All the addresses in a neighborhood were looked at. First digitally by coupling the databases of the various services and when needed by house visits. Since the end of 2005, 19.000 inspections were performed. During the inspections in the power neighborhoods, the social aspect will be more pronounced.
In the The Hague Residence Brigade finds social problems, the appropriate code will be reported at the municipal registry “Den Haag OpMaat”. Through this code the appropriate caregivers are mobilized. This could be psychological help, addiction care or the center for youth and family. This way, the municipality can reach inhabitants that are not yet familiar with the help and support the municipality can offer.
For those wondering, unlike the name suggests the term “power neighborhood” (dutch: krachtwijk) is the current dutch politically correct euphemism for a neighborhood that isn’t doing all that well. It used to be “wonderful neighborhood” (dutch: prachtwijk).
This story has made some dutch weblogs, but by and large the Dutch don’t see much wrong with what’s going on here. After all, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. And the government is just trying to help.
I blame the ongoing crisis in our educational system. So let this be a warning to other countries. It will take a while to kick in, but this is what you get if you turn your educational system into a “highly efficient” privatized diploma-factory.
Either way: the minute I get one of these letters, I will sue. If I lose, I’ll sell my house and move to Berlin.
I don’t think this is legal.
Under this pretext they could at any time search whole house areas without the need for any reason, because they just invent one – at any rate, the craziness is spreading from the UK over to the netherlands.
I hope it won’t move further to the southeast
Oh My God! This cannot be really happening here in Europe, can it?
Lockercheck in the Slave Quarters?!? You should have a Constituion that protects the citizens from any fascist governance.
Stop the NWO! Spread the word!
Rop!
You’re always welcome in Berlin!
Let’s all hope it doesn’t come to that.
Regards,
Dirk
it started.
Too bad. Another country in the “axis of evil.” This sounds very much like the Hague in 1943 and is not what I expected to hear from “liberal” Netherlands in 2009. But then, the Dutch have very strong right-wing extremists and populists, and that liberal image we adore has long been only a memory, I guess.
This totally looks like the beginning of the film _The Fifth Element_.
But don’t keep us hanging like that! What happened on 25 June? Did riot police kick in that Haagse Harry’s door? Did he get arrested for disturbing the peace by insisting on defending his constitutional right to privacy?
And by the way, I don’t think you can blame the education system for this, unless it already was rotten when you were still in school. The idea that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance is alien to many people of all age groups.
Don’t move to germany. Will be the same here in a few months/years
I couldn’t imagine that the police would have success with this in say, Kreuzberg,
Anyway, this is scary shit – don’t you have some supreme court to state such privacy invoking actions illegal?
Vote for the Pirate Party in your Country!
And let us alltogether hope it is not too late
Wow, the Dutch are now even more German than we Germans are today.
More like when you actually were German…
Unbelievable! Can you post the scanned letter?
I would say: In the Netherlands the SS is going from door to door and is searching for jews. If you won’t let them in, than they force you.
Just my german association.
Is that really true??? Not a Hoax??
I must say, I did expect a lot – but not things like that at this time (seems I am pretty naive) – and I did not expect that the Dutch are worse than the Germans!
Guess they would not do something like that in the rich parts of the city, wouldn’t they?
What will happen if you do not let them in at all? What’s that “warrant” worth?
Well, I am living in Berlin. Of course you are welcome here. But I am not sure, how long we will be better off here.
i’m shocked.
Oo WHAT?
You can’t tell me THAT really happens right now?
In Western Europe? NO WAY!
I just don’t want to believe we’re already that far.
So I’d really like to spread that, to warn people over here in Germany but first I need proof. Some Newspaper scan or website would be OK.
It’s just that I don’t wanna spread fake.
If this is real, and i think so.
What does them give the right do to this?
Isn’t there a article in the constitution of the netherlends which insures that your home is not being searched without a legimitate paper from a court?
Damn those EU Bastars…
brave new world… order. you’ll be welcome in berlin for shure, but as redlope said: don’t know for how long we’ll be better off over here, it’s gettin more and more wicked from day to day.
have a look at schornsteinfegerhandwerksgesetz §1 abs. 8 http://www.buzer.de/gesetz/8458/a157256.htm
this law was made 1937.
The person who signed the letter must be close to retarded, considering it’s nearly a drawing.
oh my god. I can’t believe that’s happening in the EU.
Somehow hope it’s a fraud but then looks quite convincing :-/
I always thought we here in Germany were the first ones to receive the really ugly things from our government but it seems the NL made it just a tad faster.
may the gods be with us and may revolts arise when time is ripe.
*shakes head* all this must be some kind of nightmare.
Could you please tell us which law is responsible for this? I mean they can’t just go and throw all civil rights into the bin, can they?
The same thing happens in Germany with people who be on welfare.
They ring at their doors and want to check their homes. They search all the rooms, the people have to open their wardrobes and have to let them search in.
And the people also must let them accessing their bank account, so that they can see, for what the money is spend.
And if the people dont cooperate, the welfare will be canceled.
It was reported also on Geenstijl.nl (dutch)
http://www.geenstijl.nl/mt/archieven/2009/06/binnenkort_ook_bij_u_verplichte_huiszoeking_bezig.html
Gun owners in Germany are subject to random checks as well (they check if gun/rifle and equipment is locked away in a safe. Although I don’t sympathize with gun owners, it’s just wrong!
They’re stripping away our civil liberties. They want people to be afraid (think “anti-terror laws”), cuz only frightened citizens (and dumb ones – that’s why our governments want us to be dumb) will accept their political leaders become more and more like unelected dictators.
We had this situation in the 50s, everyone who was considered to be “too left leaning” (maybe – god forbid, even a communist) became a high profile target.
In the 60s, students became the target – the government had powerful supporters: the right wing Springer media outlets as willing agitators were responsible for the eventual escalation of the situation.
In the 70s it was German politicians “heroic” fight against the RAF (Red Army Fraction) whose members were convicted in show trials.
Today we live in a post 911 world and our leaders are interested in more terror to come, because it gives them opportunity to cut civil liberties even further. Our current right wing government in Germany is one of the worst enemies to freedom for a long time.
Go to the elections in September and help making a grand coalition or a CDU/FDP coalition impossible. Let’s get rid of Merkel/Schäuble. These people and their parties are criminals!
What I am missing are verifiable references from reliable sources. Thanks
@alpha http://www.denhaag.nl/smartsite.html?id=68869 for example
Actually it is happening… Although the website also states that they checked other neighbourhoods before, f.e. Regentessekwartier. I am living in that neigbourhood since 2000 and they never visited me.
People are apparently obliged to cooperate, but i think that it is not in line with European law. If someone would start a trial, they can forget about it.
A friend of mine is working in 2 of the 3 neighbourhoods mentioned in the article. It is absolutetly astonishing what kind of situations he sees in the houses he visits. People slaughtering pigs in the bathtub, leakages throughout the whole house, chickens in the house, over 25 people in small houses, unsafe gasheaters etc. These are just a few examples. So it is necessary somehow, but these razzia practices are really too much!
Thank you right wing voters in the Netherlands!
Here is the original press-release (in Dutch):
http://www.servicecentrumhandhaving.nl/Nieuws/archief-2009/persbericht-gemeente-den-haag.aspx?action=0
The sad truth is that they are combining a lot of power under the fact that the fire brigade has the right to inspect your house for fire hazards. A right that I’ve never seen (or heard of being) enforced in my life.
Now there are plenty of problems in those areas that The Hague is trying to get a handle on. But I think they went beyond the measures you should expect or want from your local government.
Sadly, the Wethouder responsible for this, Marnix Norder, is PvdA (labour party). Another sign showing how strongly the PvdA is following the right wing example created by Blair’s New Labour in the UK.
Hi
In Germany we also had such an institution, it was called “Blockwart”, who had to check everything “suspect” in some houses they were responsible for.
But – that was 1933-1945 in Nazi time!
@anonymous: No, the Netherlands do not have a supreme court, or anything like it.
Our parliament is supposed to safeguard the constitutionality of proposed laws. Deciding the effectiveness of this, given that on average about 1% of the members actually read a law before voting on it, is left as an exercise for the reader.
Some facts:
Netherlands Constitution allows the search of apartments by police or other executive authorities against the inhabitants will only under certain laws (Article 12).
Art.8 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, wich is valid for every EU-Individual says:
Article 8 – Right to respect for private and family life
1. Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence.
2. There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.
So apart from berlin being a lot more fun then the hague (in my opinion) you probably will not have to move.
You know what I don’t understand guys? That something like this is happening in the Netherlands. We all heard about Berlosconi, Sarkozy or Merkel so I wouldn’t be surprised if they come up with such a brainf**** (excuse my french) – but in NL? I mean what’s going on? Is it a private organization or a governmental one? Don’t they need a search warrant? I mean, if they would ring my doorbell I certainly wouldn’t let them in and argue, that they should come back with a valid search warrant otherwise my doors would be closed for them and I wouldn’t cooperate.
Yeah, Berlin is a lot of fun but so is Amsterdam. And as I already pointed out, we got the exact same situation going on in Germany and it’ll get worse if we re-elect our current government.
Hy Rob,
will there at HAR2009 Tent searches too?
This – if real – would be a violation of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (article
as more closely elaborated in the European Court of Human Rights judgement as of 08.04.2005, case no. 41604/98 (Buck v. Germany). Sue them.
Strange, I meant Artice 8, of course. Smiley seems not appropriate.
http://www.vrijspreker.nl/wp/wp-content/media/2009/06/dreigbrief.jpg
Rop
By “I would sue”, do you mean to refer to civil litigation of some sort? Wouldn’t a criminal complaint for harassment be a more logical first course of action?
Under German law, sending a letter such as the one you’re referring to could even be considered as Nötigung, but I’m not sure if there is an equivalent to that concept in Dutch law.
should have thought of this outcome before you opened the doors to rafts of hostile immigrants hey? native europeans are going to suffer an erosion of their civil liberties and way of life because so many new arrivals don’t share the same ideals. your government can either come down hard on everyone or let the swine run riot, and it looks like the governments will find the balls to do the former.
you reap what you sow, your socialist views have screwed your continent. RACE AND CULTURE MATTER – wake up to it you delusional quasi-communist totalitarian multiculturalists.
I can’t belive this is happing in 2009 right in the heart of the european union.. I’m totally shocked
“Under German law, sending a letter such as the one you’re referring to could even be considered as –>Nötigung<—, but I’m not sure if there is an equivalent to that concept in Dutch law.”
EXACTLY.
In English it is “coercion” or “necessitation”.
It should be possible to sue those who send such letters.
And yes, it IS getting worse in Germany. Our secret service (BND = Bundesnachrichtendienst) always warns us that there eventually will be terrorist attacks which then never happen. The police is getting more and more unfriendly and more and morey aggressive. You see them more and more often wearing combat gear. Formly the German police officiers wore green-light yellow uniforms. Now they start wearing dark blue and nearly black uniforms because that looks more threatening!!!
Their attitude has changed.
“marc says:
July 8, 2009 at 00:57
have a look at schornsteinfegerhandwerksgesetz §1 abs. 8 http://www.buzer.de/gesetz/8458/a157256.htm
this law was made 1937.”
Yes but this law was made when most people would heat with charcoal or oil and safety standards would simply guarantee that the smoke would pass through the chimney because if a chimney is blocked the smoke can easily kill the (sleeping) inhabitants.
Nowadays it does still make sense to measure the emissions from gas heatings but it does not make sense that a chimney sweeper actually sweeps the chimneys because a gas heating emissions water vapour only and that can not block any chimney. The owner of a house has to permit the chimney sweeper to control the heating. But he needn’t allow (e.g. he can forbid) the chimney sweeper to climb on the roof and sweep the chimney. That reduces the fee ;-D
Hopefully our right winged government will be voted off come september. Unfortunately most Germans have not interest in politics and watch state owned television news only ;-(.
I dunno, but having to let in visitors that are uninvited without a certain reason, that’s got a name.
I just forgot it’s name. I don’t wanna fulfill Godwins law.
@Lookingtothestars: There IS NO “state owned” or “governmental” television. There are stations, that are subjected to public law, but compared to English-language speaking standards, it’s some sort of PBS, public broadcasting. The “political” government has no influence, only the jurisdiction.
This is all nonsense
Just read this in a German blog and couldn’t believe it until I translated the official text on denhaag.nl. It’s absolutely breathtaking! I mean – we’re discussing a lot of limitations of basic rights here but that’s a completely new dimension and I can’t believe that it would be approved by any court, not in the Netherlands nor in Germany or anywhere else in the community of Countries calling themself “the west”.
Best wishes – shaking the head,
Thomas
There is nothing wrong with door to door searches. They should do this everywhere on a regular basis. The softies alow this only for firesafty etc. They should regularly search the houses on any illegal situations, weapons drugs etc.
The mistake of the communist world was that they didnt do this. Then the people would have stayed in line.
People are not capable of coping with privacy and should be controlled from the cradle to the grave.
Strangely, even North Korea dont need this door to door searches to keep people in line like in the Hague
“We all heard about Berlosconi, Sarkozy or Merkel so I wouldn’t be surprised if they come up with such a brainf**** [...]”
what is being said about merkel in other countries?
Sounds like former German Gestapo, kind of sick, isn’t it? I’m wondering what I was doing if such ppl were suddenly standing in front of MY door – but definately telling them to sod off, too. Well, if Germans keep as quiet as they’re doing now I wasn’t surprised if they suddenly did the same thing here in Germany. Unfortunately most ppl here in Germany were – and still are – far too obedient. They’re doing what they’re told to and keep their mouth shut which I believe is a great mistake. We should tell these fu*** to go to hell and mind their own business.
And here I was, thinking about emigrating to the NL. So sad the right weirdos are taking over there too.
I used to think people reinforcing their doors were all either criminals or paranoics, but this gets me thinking about it as well.
In Antwerp they did something like this a few years ago. Door-to-door searches with someone from migration. This made the news, but was met with little resistance. Only the Green party (which was in the city council that approved this Gestapo method) made some protest. This all happened under an socialist mayor!
One reason they get away with it is that the houses are rented from a ‘corporation’. They put all kind of things in their contracts (not all them would stand up in court) but they bluff their way inside.
Most other people (as in, not directly affected) will probably think “o, this can’t happen to me, good that they clean up that bad neighborhood”. This way of thinking probably accounts for the lack of reactions.
Though, to be honest: I read a lot of news, also local news in the The Hague area and I hadn’t heard of this. My first reaction was “you’re kidding!”. Kudo’s to geenstijl.nl for reporting it, and pointing out what’s wrong with the legal arguments.