THE HAGUE--King Willem-Alexander used his traditional Christmas message to urge the people of the Netherlands not to allow themselves to live in fear. “Many people in the Netherlands are worried about the future and are asking themselves how we can protect our own way of life,” the King said in his speech, which was delivered on Christmas Day, Friday.
We live in a complex world, the King said on national television and radio. However,
the problems facing us today are no greater than the challenges faced by previous generations, the King noted.
“We do not have to hide or deny our fears,” he said. “But, we do not need to allow those fears to take over and run our society…When it comes to major challenges we have to show what we stand for: our democracy and the rule of law.”
The King said it is essential that people are allowed to be themselves and live together in peace. Doing this takes courage in these “turbulent times,” the King said.
The Dutch should cherish their free and open society and the way the rule of law “protects the defenceless and prevents only the loudest voices being heard,” he said.
The King recorded his Christmas message from his home in Wassenaar. He said with the attacks in Paris still fresh in memory, that in the regions around the Netherlands large groups of people are adrift by terror and violence. These people search a safe haven and a chance at a better life in the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander said.
He said that freedom has been essential to the Netherlands from the very beginning. “At this year’s King’s Day we were at the Court of the Netherlands in Dordrecht, where in 1572 the first free meeting of the Estates of Holland were held. There we signed along with other Dutch people, the text: ‘Here, the foundation was laid for an independent country. Where you are free to think what you think, believe what you believe and be who you are.’”
The King pointed out that that its hard-fought freedom had brought the country much good over the centuries. “We have built a democratic state that belongs in many ways to the strongest in the world, with a high level of prosperity and amenities and with millions of citizens who work selflessly for others.”
He said there is still much important work to do to involve everyone. “Some feel abandoned and insufficiently heard, but our country, our place in the world, is precious to us. The Netherlands is a country to call home. Yet this does not make us invulnerable to worry and anxiety about events that overwhelm us and with which we cannot cope.”
The King said he understood the urge to protect what is dear to us. “We do not put our fear away or deny it, but we must also not hand over the reins of our life and let fear dominate our society.”
Tranquillity and mutual trust are friends of freedom, the King said. “When it comes to major challenges to show what we stand together, our democracy and our constitutional state, it is essential that people are allowed their dignity and can be at peace with one another despite their differences.”
The King said that peace is not for the idle. “It requires courage to listen to each other and to be critical of own ideas. This courage is required of all of us. Now, we must work together to find a way in a turbulent time. The challenge is to show now what we together as a liberated country are really worth.
“In times like these it becomes again clear how much we share with the countries around us: belief in freedom; respect for the life of every human being and for everyone’s right to make their own choices; solidarity with those who really need our help; concern for the future of our planet, as became apparent this month in Paris, where the European countries marched united. These values are the heartbeat of our society. They are essential for us as free people and always give us the strength to continue.”
The King also applied this combined and united strength to the Dutch Kingdom. “Our combined strength reaches further and connects more than we sometimes think. We do not crawl back into our shell. To the contrary. What befits is pride of our free and open way of life, our belief that everyone should be able to participate in our kingdom on an equal footing,” he said.
In concluding his Christmas speech, the King said he had great confidence in the ability of the Netherlands to remain a community of free people.
