It seems that each day, we have fewer reasons to be surprised by Geert Wilders’ popularity in the voting booth.
Today, the Dutch city of Hoorn has decided it will not apologise for its involvement in the slave trade. It will also not recognise its actions in the past, RTL Nieuws reports.
Following a vote held by the municipal council to decide whether Hoorn should apologise for its role in slavery, the council did not reach a majority in favour of apologising.
Hoorn’s role in the slave trade
To make matters worse, it’s not as if Hoorn can claim to have had no ties to slavery.
In fact, a study carried out in June found that the city played a very important role in the slave trade during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
According to the study, the city was home to a chamber of the VOC, which was also heavily involved in the shipment and trading of slaves.
READ MORE | What was the VOC? The Dutch East India Company explained
However, as RTL Nieuws reports, Hoorn doesn’t want to deal with “stadsgesprekken” (city conversations) about slavery and discrimination.
Who would have thought acknowledging the horrific crimes of the past would be so difficult…
What do you think of this decision? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.