Netherlands: 'I prefer my wife not take a taxi.. the driver might be Moroccan'
Guido van Woerkom, the director of the ANWB (the Dutch automobile association), mentioned he prefers his wife doesn't take a taxi, since there's a chance that the driver is a Moroccan.
Van Woerkom made this statement during a speech mostly for car park owners. They responded with irritation. At first they thought it was a joke, and that Van Woerkom would continue. That didn't happen.
Van Woerkom gave in his speech an exampel about the price of mobility. He said that his wife only drives 4,000 km a year, and that she thus has to pay less than somebody who drive 100,000 km. Somebody in the hall suggested that in that case she better take a taxi, at which point Van Woerkom answered that he preferred she didn't, because the driver might be a Moroccan.
The Dutch Moroccan alliance (SMN) is considering lodging a complaint at the discrimination hotline against Van Woerkom. The SMN is "outraged and offended," said the organization.
SMN-chairman Faris Azarkan was very surprised at the statement. "You don't actually believe that, do you? A top executive from the world of social organization who makes such denigrating and discriminating statements. Van Woerkom really lost the way."
The director regrets his statements, ANWB announced Thursday in a statement. He didn't mean to 'offend drivers from different cultures', but only wanted in response to a question from the public 'to raise the difference in the quality of taxi transport in the Netherlands'.
The statement caused quite a stir in the conference. Many of the audience were appalled. The ANWB refrained from further comment. The union has about 4 million members. Until now the affair didn't cost the union any members.
Sources: Telegraaf, Trouw (Dutch)
Guido van Woerkom, the director of the ANWB (the Dutch automobile association), mentioned he prefers his wife doesn't take a taxi, since there's a chance that the driver is a Moroccan.
Van Woerkom made this statement during a speech mostly for car park owners. They responded with irritation. At first they thought it was a joke, and that Van Woerkom would continue. That didn't happen.
Van Woerkom gave in his speech an exampel about the price of mobility. He said that his wife only drives 4,000 km a year, and that she thus has to pay less than somebody who drive 100,000 km. Somebody in the hall suggested that in that case she better take a taxi, at which point Van Woerkom answered that he preferred she didn't, because the driver might be a Moroccan.
The Dutch Moroccan alliance (SMN) is considering lodging a complaint at the discrimination hotline against Van Woerkom. The SMN is "outraged and offended," said the organization.
SMN-chairman Faris Azarkan was very surprised at the statement. "You don't actually believe that, do you? A top executive from the world of social organization who makes such denigrating and discriminating statements. Van Woerkom really lost the way."
The director regrets his statements, ANWB announced Thursday in a statement. He didn't mean to 'offend drivers from different cultures', but only wanted in response to a question from the public 'to raise the difference in the quality of taxi transport in the Netherlands'.
The statement caused quite a stir in the conference. Many of the audience were appalled. The ANWB refrained from further comment. The union has about 4 million members. Until now the affair didn't cost the union any members.
Sources: Telegraaf, Trouw (Dutch)
No comments:
Post a Comment