Interior Minister Hans Wiegel has rejected a protest by The Netherlands Auschwitz Committee against the appearance of three Dutch neo-Fascists before the Police Academy at Apeldoorn at the invitation of its student body.
The event, reported by the local press, took place in April during a seminar at the Police Academy on neo-Fascism. Invited to speak were Joop Glimmerveen, leader of the neo-Fascist “Nederlandse Volksunie,” who discussed the aims of his party, and two representatives of neo Fascist youth groups. Former resistance leaders and political figures also took part in the seminar.
The Auschwitz Committee sent a telegram to Wiegel protesting that the Police Academy provided a forum for Glimmerveen whose party was banned from participating in municipal elections in the four largest cities in Holland last year. Wiegel replied, “Our democracy is based on the freedom of expression and is the stronger when it also allows those to express themselves who adhere to views which the large majority of our people firmly rejects.”
He noted that in recent years the training of police has stressed that they must be prepared for their tasks on as wide a basis as possible which means they must be acquainted with controversial movements that may cause trouble.
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