Netherlands: Refugee Facilities Must Meet EU Standards, Court Rules

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Image copyright: Reuters [via Al Jazeera]

The Facts

  • A Dutch court on Thursday ordered that asylum seekers in government-run centres in the Netherlands must immediately be given "indoor sleeping space, food, water and access to hygienic sanitation facilities," in accordance with EU standards.

  • The court also ruled that the government must house vulnerable groups – including families with babies, minors traveling alone, and those in need of medical or psychiatric care – in special facilities capable of providing the support required. Currently, the Netherlands is housing about 30k asylum seekers in emergency and crisis centers.

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The Spin

Narrative A

The ongoing refugee crisis in the Netherlands exposes how so-called European values are ill-founded, and that racism still prevails in the continent. Conducting selective immigration practices and segregating refugees caused this crisis, with Ukrainians being treated better than black and brown refugees.

Guardian

Narrative B

Unlike some other countries, the Netherlands is not facing a migrant crisis, only consecutive years of failed government policies. The agencies in charge of refugee intake have faltered miserably and are finally being forced to acknowledge their mistakes, but this is the result of incompetence, not intolerance. The government is now working to build proper accommodation for asylum seekers.

DW