Several travellers in the intercity between Almere and Lelystad were in disbelief yesterday. The conductor on the train alerted people to watch out for their belongings.
Nothing out of the ordinary with his remark, you never know with pickpocketing on busy trains.
However, the conductor continued by stating to be especially “alert to Mediterranean types to come to our country to roam the place.” Niet zo normaal. 😲
A social media storm
After the conductor’s shocking statement, it didn’t take long for travellers on the train to report it on Twitter, rejecting the conductor’s behaviour as a result.
Beste @NS_online. Een conducteur die omroept dat we op onze spullen moeten letten, top!
De toevoeging dat we alert moeten zijn op mediterrane types die naar ons land komen om de boel af te struinen….
Lijkt mij nogal ongepast.— Jonne Kortmann (@JonneKortmann) January 10, 2023
Translation: Dear NS Online, a conductor notified us to watch our belongings, that’s great! The additional comment that we have to watch out for Mediterranean types who come to our country to roam the place…seems quite inappropriate to me.
Beste @NS_online,
Kunnen jullie mij uitleggen of het gebruikelijk is dat conducteurs bij het waarschuwen van passagiers voor zakkenrollers in de trein de volgende omroep tekst passend is:
‘Het zijn mediterraanse types die helaas ons land kaal stropen’? pic.twitter.com/LeLO4119zf— Hicham Ismaili Alaoui (@HIsmailiAlaoui) January 10, 2023
Translation: Dear NS Online, can you explain to me if it is usual for conductors to warn passengers of pickpockets on the train with the following statement: ‘They are Mediterranean types who unfortunately poach our country bare’?
NS responds back
NS Online responded to one of the tweets stating they find the conductor’s remark very inappropriate too.
Hi Jonne, dat vind ik ook erg ongepast! Wat is jouw vertrek en eindstation en hoe laat ben je vertrokken? Ik maak hier graag een melding over aan. ^RX— NS online (@NS_online) January 10, 2023
The NS reported to RTL Nieuws today that they “disapprove of any form of racism. And therefore this call. This is not possible.”
The NS is planning to interview the conductor about this incident, and the conductor will be summoned by his employer.
Have you ever had any weird occurrences on the train? Tell us in the comments below!