The newspapers of Tuesday, July 17, headlined that Pete Hoekstra, the US ambassador in The Hague, had a meeting with Mr. Rhuggenaath. We are talking about the same Hoekstra who stated in 2015 that the 'Islamic movement' caused chaos in Europe.
That there is chaos in the Netherlands, that there are cars that are burned and that politicians are burned. And yes, there are still areas (no-go zones) in the Netherlands. When Hoekstra was confronted with his statements in the Dutch current affairs program Nieuwsuur, he denied ever having done so and stated that the claim was 'incorrect' and even 'fake news'.
The US Department of Foreign Affairs resigned from the statements made by Hoekstra in 2015 that no-go zones exist in the Netherlands and that politicians are set on fire.
Hoekstra is also a prominent member of the Tea Party, a radical group within the Republican Party. He eventually 'tweeted' his apologies.
I think it is important that our politicians are well informed about who they are dealing with.
J. Martina
Curaçao
