Dutch coalition averts collapse after Finance Secretary quits over racist remarks

euronews (in English)

The Dutch government has survived a crisis that centred on the resignation of the finance secretary. Nora Achahbar quit in response to comments made about immigrants blamed for attacking Israeli fans after a soccer game in Amsterdam on 7 November.

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00:00Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof has said the governing coalition has averted collapse

00:06after the resignation of the finance secretary.

00:09Morocco-born Nora Akkabar said she was stepping down on Friday.

00:14She cited racist comments made by some ministers who were discussing clashes between Israeli

00:19football fans and pro-Palestinian supporters in Amsterdam.

00:23Akkabar blamed polarizing language for her inability to continue in her post.

00:28Schoof said after her resignation that among the four coalition parties, we saw that we

00:33wanted to continue.

00:35Violence erupted in Amsterdam around last week's football match between Ajax and Maccabi

00:40Tel Aviv.

00:42A number of Maccabi fans chanted anti-Arab slogans and ripped a Palestinian flag off

00:47a building.

00:50Some men then carried out hit-and-run attacks on Maccabi fans and people they thought were

00:55Jews.

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