Slavery commemoration organisers ask Martin Bosma to ‘reflect’ on comments

House Speaker Martin Bosma must reflect on his previous statements about the history of slavery as a former PVV MP. ​​Otherwise he will not be allowed to take part in the national slavery commemoration on July 1. This was the decision made on Monday by the National Institute for the History of Slavery and Heritage (NiNsee), the organizer of the commemoration. NiNsee chairman Linda Nooitmeer told ANP the same day that she asked Bosma to “reflect” and “make a gesture”. If not, he must send a replacement to the wreath-laying ceremony. On Amsterdam channel AT5, Nooitmeer also spoke about the “apology” that Bosma must make, but she did not want to repeat this to the ANP.

NiNsee’s decision to raise a claim against Bosma’s existence is shocking. The institute sent a message a week ago Press release The institute has maintained the tradition of inviting the democratically elected presidents of the Senate and House of Representatives since the first official commemoration in 2002.

Last week, the institute said the commemoration had taken on new significance since the formal apologies by Prime Minister Mark Rutte and King Willem-Alexander for the Netherlands’ role in transatlantic slavery were due in 2022 and 2023. “In this sense, Mr. Bosma’s presence, and especially the commemoration on July 1, is an opportunity to participate in a moment of reflection and awareness,” NiNsee said at the time. “Recent history has shown what newly acquired awareness can bring.”

‘Just invited. Views’

Bosma responded during a parliamentary debate on Monday that he still planned to go because he was “just invited. Point of view.” When Denk MP Doğgukan Ergin asked him if he planned to reflect, he said, “I will think about it.” He also said he had never experienced a situation where the speaker of the House had to reflect before being allowed to accept an invitation. Bosma announced that he would not speak at the commemoration.

There have been concerns for some time about Bosma’s role as Speaker of the House of Representatives at memorial ceremonies. On May 4, National Memorial Day, there were protests against his presence because of ideas and statements that, according to demonstrators, were associated with “fascist” ideology.

His presence at the slavery commemoration caused an uproar on Monday when 35 organizations and 150 people sent a letter to the House of Representatives, the City of Amsterdam and NiNsee. The letter authors called on the three parties to field a replacement for Bosma, in part because he had spoken of “slavery drama” during his time as an MP, opposed the creation of a fund to raise awareness of the history of slavery and “enjoyed racism”. His presence at the wreath-laying ceremony on July 1 will be seen as a “serious insult” by Afro-Caribbean and indigenous communities.

The letter writers have united under the name of the Dignified July 1 Commemoration Coalition. They include former MP Sylvana Simons (BIJ1), creative director of broadcaster Zwart Akwasi Ansah and Kick Out Zwarte Piet founder Jerry Afryie.

Tula’s Rehabilitation

Prior to becoming president, Bosma was known as a PVV MP for his strong opposition to initiatives to raise collective awareness of the Netherlands’ role in its slavery past and to recognize the descendants of enslaved people. For example, he wanted to overturn Rutte and the king’s excuses and called the yet-to-be-established slavery museum a “palace of lies.” Parliamentary debate In A History of Slavery 2023, he talks about “anti-white racism” which is further exacerbated by the “persistent discourse of slavery.”

In that debate he also argued against the rehabilitation of resistance hero Toula, leader of the slave revolt on Curaçao in 1795. According to Bosma, the rebels under his watch had abused the Dutch schoolmaster Gerrit Sabel in the most horrific way. Bosma seemed unaware that the book he was basing his account on was a work of fiction, not a historically accurate eyewitness account.

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