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Dutch art teacher took hundreds of secret under-desk photos of female students

Gaelle Salem
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Dutch art teacher took hundreds of secret under-desk photos of female students

In August, Dutch Artist, Pim V., who has been a teacher at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (KABK) for almost 32 years, was accused of secretly taking pictures of women from under tables. 

The teacher’s misconduct was disclosed when he was caught taking photos of a woman changing in a store’s fitting room in Utrecht.

That woman filed a police report, and because of this, the police found hundreds of compromising pictures of women on V.’s phone, including female students at the KABK.

Crimes exposed? It’s time to confess

According to the director of KABK, Ranti Tjan, no one realised that the teacher had been secretly taking photos of girls from under desks for years. 

When two detectives showed up at V.’s office in The Hague, it came as a total surprise to faculty members and students alike.

READ MORE | Dutch fraternity calls women “cum buckets” in a speech

V. confessed to all his wrongdoings in a meeting with Tjan, where he stated that he didn’t take any pictures of minors, teachers, and men. (How convenient. 🙄) He also promised to go to therapy.

The teacher now faces a court trial, where he’s being prosecuted for his offensive sexual advances and has reportedly been fired from his job at the school. 

READ MORE | Progress takes a pit-stop as women face harassment at the Dutch Grand Prix

“The name of the teacher can therefore no longer be found on the website of the academy. The students that Pim V. supervised will be taken over by another teacher”, Tjan tells the NRC.

Scandal after scandal

This isn’t the first time that teachers from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague were accused of sexually harassing female students.

In October 2020, another professor at the school was called out for allegedly inviting young female students to his place after art gallery openings, amongst other problematic behaviour.

READ MORE | Man suspended from work for making a licking gesture to his female colleague

One of his colleagues was also said to have made sexual remarks about the way female students dressed at the school. Since then, both professors have been suspended from their jobs. 

Similarly, there was an incident involving ex-KABK artist, Julian Andeweg, who was accused of domestic violence, rape, and stalking by at least 20 men and women, writes the NOS. 

Trying to do better

Tjan, who’s a fairly new director of the KABK, is well aware of the bad reputation the school has acquired due to these allegations. However, he aims to make changes that will better the lives of female students.

READ MORE | How men can step up against sexual misconduct in the Netherlands

“Good steps have already been taken recently: we have study coaches, and a new code of conduct, and the students are once again more strongly represented. This academy has resilience and a lot of talent. We are going to show that”, he tells the NRC.

What do you think about KABK’s newest scandal? Tell us in the comments below!

Feature Image: OSeveno/Wikimedia Commons/CC3.0

Chaos reignites at Schiphol as workers’ summer wage increase expires

Juni Moltubak
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Chaos reignites at Schiphol as workers’ summer wage increase expires

Chaos is once again a synonym for Schiphol here in the Netherlands, as wages go back to normal after the unusually busy summer season.

For a few months, exhausted airport employees have been granted some extra cash, to keep Schiphol from breaking down completely — €5.25 extra per hour, to be exact.

READ MORE | Chaos at Schiphol: why the biggest Dutch airport is struggling so much

But now, the temporary bandaid has been ripped off, and staff is looking for better work elsewhere, writes the NOS.

Translation: “What does the responsible minister do when the situation at Schiphol gets completely out of hand?” “Minister Harbers visits cycling day: ‘Important that the elderly are helped with tips’.”

Flights cancelled

That Schiphol staff, and security personnel, in particular, are jumping ship means more chaos at the busiest Dutch airport.

The summer rush seems to linger, and there are simply not enough people (willing to be) working in order to make sure all passengers leave the ground safely, and on time.

Yesterday between 4 PM and 11 PM, Schiphol ordered multiple airlines to cancel their flights on short notice.

Transavia airlines were among the companies highly annoyed about the airport’s handling of the situation, as they had to cancel flights for passengers with only a few hours’ notice.

READ MORE | KLM promises to reimburse passengers for cancelled flights within seven days

Not all airlines followed Schiphol’s request, however, and many flights still left the ground last night. This led to long lines, and chaos reminding us of those sweet summer months.

New day, new Schiphol?

After a disastrous day yesterday, with up to 10,000 travellers affected, RTL Nieuws reports that today should be better. They do not go into detail on how exactly the situation has improved since yesterday, however.

READ MORE | Want to cancel your flight at Schiphol because of the chaos? That will still cost you

In other words, if you’re planning on leaving the country anytime soon, you should show up bright and early — four hours in advance.

Oh, and bring good walking shoes, snacks, some entertainment, and maybe a tent — God knows how long you’ll have to stay there.

Have you been affected by the chaos at Schiphol? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!

Finally! NS agrees to up workers’ wages, all strikes are cancelled

Gaelle Salem
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Finally! NS agrees to up workers’ wages, all strikes are cancelled

After an eternity of commuting chaos in the Netherlands, the NS and trade unions have finally agreed to increase staff wages by 9.5% in 18 months. As a result, all train strikes have officially been cancelled. Hoera! 🥳

In addition to the wage hike, NS staff will also be getting an extra payment of €1,000 in December 2022 and July 2023. 

They’ll also no longer have to be reachable outside working hours and can have two guaranteed vacation days from 2023. 

In the future, the labour agreement plans to tackle the high workload experienced by the staff by limiting night and weekend shifts. 

Wage hike? It’s only a start

The president-director of the NS, Bert Groenewegen, expressed his enthusiasm about the agreement, stating that such a proposal would help with the rising living costs. 

However, the agreement is only the first stepping stone to greener pastures for NS staff. It does not account for work pressure, job satisfaction, and staff shortages.

READ MORE | Here we go again: No trains to ride in the Netherlands today

Members of the trade unions all chimed in on the topic, stating that, for now, they’re satisfied with the consensus as it creates a better work-life balance for the NS staff.

“We cannot solve everything in the collective labour agreement, and we cannot immediately magically remove the staff shortage, but it is good that we have now made a number of agreements”, Jerry Piqué of the CNV trade union tells the NOS.

READ MORE | BREAKING: NS will cancel all trains if regional strikes go as planned

“In our opinion, there is not much more that can be done. The NS had to come from far; the negotiations were tough. We are happy with it because we do not strike for pleasure. And it is also great for travellers that the strikes are now over”, Henri Janssen of the FNV trade union tells the NOS.

Lengthy train strikes finally paid off

Strikes were still planned on Tuesday and Thursday for the coming week, but with this agreement, we can officially say sayonara to biking (or hiking) to work and school.

According to the NS, they’re still not sure how the labour agreement will affect train ticket prices. 

READ MORE | The NL is about to get night trains from Amsterdam to Austrian ski resorts!

“We will look at that later this year. There is one moment when we can increase the prices: that is January 1, and that is subject to rules. Moreover, the unions still have to present the result to their members”, the NS tells the NOS.

What do you think about the labour agreement for the NS staff? Tell us in the comments below! 👇

Doei summer: that’s it folks, the warm Dutch weather is over

Juni Moltubak
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Doei summer: that’s it folks, the warm Dutch weather is over

If the comfy temps today got you in a summer mood, you better enjoy it while it lasts. From tomorrow onwards, autumn is here to stay,

We’ll have a few days of 20-degree weather here in the Netherlands, before the weekend hits with a chilling 16 degrees, according to Buienradar.

It’s officially sweater weather!

Although today promises temperatures around the 24-degree mark, tomorrow will already show signs of the autumn we’ve been expecting for a while.

READ MORE | 11 must-have closet items to survive the Dutch weather

After a nice and sunny, albeit only 20-degree, day in most parts of the country, Wednesday will bring a cold front.

First autumn weekend

Everyone knows the weekend starts on Friday, but this week, Thursday jumps the gun and joins in on the weekend weather too.

After about 18 degrees on Thursday, we step down to the 16-degree mark from Friday onwards. A rather strong wind from the great sea is also to be expected, although RTL Nieuws reports that a real autumn storm is not yet on the agenda.

READ MORE | Four reasons to be grateful for crappy Dutch weather

The weekend will also get sprinkled with some showers, true Dutch style, but the sun won’t leave us completely just yet.

In other words: get out a cosy sweater and your favourite infinity scarf, brew some delicious pumpkin-spiced latte, and start gathering inspo for your Halloween costume. Autumn seems to (finally) be upon us.

Are you ready to say doei to summer, or do you wish it would stay around for a bit longer? Tell us in the comments below!

The Dutch King, Queen, and Prime Minister respond to the death of Queen Elizabeth

Heather Slevin
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The Dutch King, Queen, and Prime Minister respond to the death of Queen Elizabeth

The UK’s Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022. The Dutch Royal Family gave their condolences to her family and the British Nation. 

Queen Elizabeth II was put under medical supervision due to health concerns during the afternoon of September 8. Her family rushed to be by her side at Balmoral Castle, where she stayed during the summer months. She also recently received new British Prime Minister Liz Truss on September 6. 

Her death was announced at 6.30 PM GMT. 

Longest reigning monarch in Britain

After celebrating 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth was the longest-reigning monarch in Britain’s history. In light of her passing, the Dutch Royal Family reflect on her life and offer condolences to her family members. 

“We commemorate Queen Elizabeth II with deep respect and great affection,” says King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, and Princess Beatrix, the NU reports.

“Tough and wise, she put her long life at the service of the British people. We feel strongly connected to the United Kingdom and the Royal Family and share in their grief.”

Queen-Elizabethh-II-with-Prince-Philip-Rotterdam
Queen Elizabeth visits Rotterdam. Image: Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

Her family grieves

King Charles, formally Prince Charles, also shared his grief. As the son of Queen Elizabeth, not only is he losing a monarch core to the history of Britain, he is losing his mother. “This is one of the saddest moments that I and my family have experienced. We mourn our beloved queen and mother,” he says in a post on Twitter. 

Across the world, people from all nations have expressed sadness over the Queen’s death. Even here in the Netherlands, people have offered well-wishes to the people of the British nation.

Leaders of State reflect

Prime Minister Mark Rutte reflected on the Queen and her demeanour. He says, “However high the waves of history may have been, Queen Elizabeth combined a sense of duty and steadfastness with lightness and humour. She impressed everyone who met her with the characterful interpretation of her difficult task.”

The newly-appointed British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, also reflected on the queen’s death. “We have all been upended by the death of Queen Elizabeth. Our country has grown and blossomed under her. She was the rock on which the modern United Kingdom was built,” says Truss in a televised speech on Thursday evening. 

Want the latest Dutch news to come zooming through the internet to your inbox? Dat kan! Subscribe to DutchReview’s weekly roundup 📮

Here we go again: No trains to ride in the Netherlands today

Liana Risseeuw 🇱🇰
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Here we go again: No trains to ride in the Netherlands today

Well, folks — it looks like it’s time to book a cab.

Keeping the promise they made on Wednesday, the NS now reports that no trains are set to run through most of the country.

The little engine that couldn’t

The railway operator pledged to cancel all trains if the regional trade union strikes continued.

The strikes are set to affect a large region where employees and trains would travel through. And, as the regional strikes went ahead as planned, the NS decided to cancel most trains set to run today.

Don’t cancel that flight just yet!

To keep Schiphol running, trains will still run the Utrecht Centraal-Amsterdam Zuid-Schiphol Airport route.

Trains will run four times an hour in both directions — up until 8 PM. After 8 PM, there’ll be two trains an hour, and only one train after midnight.

Offer not accepted

The NS was in talks with trade unions yesterday about negotiating higher pay for employees, but no agreement has been reached, as of today.

Talking to NOS, the executive of trade union FNV, Henri Janssen, pointed out that there was a large discrepancy between the NS’ proposal and trade union demands.

A glimmer of hope?

Wage discussions are set to continue into the weekend, and there is hope that an agreement may be made.

This would come as welcome news to everyone affected, especially if the strikes set for Tuesday and Thursday next week move forward

So, what are your thoughts on the latest setback the NS has in store for us? Tell us in the comments below!

No more camping! Dutch cabinet to build 60,000 new student houses

Mihály Droppa
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No more camping! Dutch cabinet to build 60,000 new student houses

The cabinet has presented a new action plan to solve (at least a part of) the housing crisis. How? They plan to build 60,000 additional affordable homes for students to live in while studying in the Netherlands.

The National Student Housing Action Plan is the knight in shining armour in this case. 

The plan cooperates with existing housing associations and educational institutions, and according to NOS, it will even include input from private investors and students to solve the problem. 

It may sound a bit unreal for now, but we would certainly love to see it!

So, what will this plan look like? 

The goal is to execute the plan over the next eight years — so it’s not going to solve the whole problem by tomorrow (obviously). 

The cabinet will take a number of steps to achieve this.

Firstly, they are hoping to build 37,500 more flex homes between 2022 and 2024. Secondly, they plan to invest €37 million in an incentive scheme for housing for special groups — under which student housing is also covered.

In a press release by the government, Minister De Jonge for Housing and Spatial Planning also commented on the action plan: 

“Every student should be given the opportunity to move into a room. It is a special moment to leave the parental home and step towards independence,” he says.

“To be able to make this choice, sufficient student housing is needed. That is why we are joining forces with various parties to offer 60,000 extra affordable student housing over the next eight years.”

picture-of-a-person-holding-a-sign-at-housing-protest-Amsterdam
There have been many demonstrations because of the housing crisis in the Netherlands. Image: Depositphotos

A growing problem

Student Housing has become a big problem in the Netherlands in recent years. 

It affects both Dutch students, who are trying to move out from their parents when they go to university, and international students trying to move to the Netherlands. 

READ MORE: Why is there a housing shortage in the Netherlands? The Dutch housing crisis explained

The issue is partly caused by Dutch tuition fees. EU students enjoy the same tuition fee rates as the local students, which means that for many of them, it is far cheaper to study here. 

Let’s not forget that good ol’ Brexit has also had a considerable impact; many internationals who were planning to study in the UK are now coming to the Netherlands instead.

Fewer internationals

Another solution to the problem would be if there would be simply fewer international students in the country — and some institutions are thinking this way.

The University of Amsterdam plans to admit fewer international students in the following years. 

This morning, the NRC even called for the government to block international students from coming to the Netherlands. 

While the proposed plan may not solve the entire housing crisis, it’s definitely an improvement if students don’t need to sleep in garages or in those cosy tents in the park. 

The Cabinet and the parties hope these steps will help the problem faced by a growing number of international students in the Netherlands. Who knows? Maybe, in the end, students won’t need to write their first essays for uni under a bridge. It would be remarkable indeed!

What do you think about the new action plan? Let us know in the comments!

House prices in the Netherlands now TWICE as expensive as in 2013

Liana Risseeuw 🇱🇰
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House prices in the Netherlands now TWICE as expensive as in 2013

Buying a house will now cost you 14.5% more than it did last year, and nearly DOUBLE the prices of nine years ago.

Nope, that’s not a typo. 😭

According to research compiled by CBS, the Central Bureau of Statistics, existing owner-occupied houses are now 99% more expensive than they were in 2013. Wat vreselijk! 😱

Building castles in the air

Since the lull in prices of July 2013, costs of existing houses have been on a steady upward trek — with January of this year ringing in a 21.1% increase.

Aspiring homeowners will definitely need to put the brakes on those “New Year, New Home” goals.

READ MORE | Why is there a housing shortage in the Netherlands? The Dutch housing crisis explained

This is alarming news for Dutchies that already have to contend with record high inflation, and a loss of purchasing power due to slowly-rising wages being unable to match the skyrocketing inflation rate.

A house is not a home

The Land Registry recorded 22.2% fewer residential purchases in the first seven months of 2022 than in the same period of the previous year. 🧐

And this July alone, only 16,417 residential purchases were made — nearly 14% fewer than in July 2021.

The hesitancy to pull the trigger on a house is understandable, but given the rising prices of rent (hello, paying €700 for a cardboard box, anyone?), wallet-friendly housing options may be off the market for the foreseeable future.

What are your opinions on the current Dutch housing market? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Bad news folks: the number of false wolf spiders in the NL has increased tenfold

Heather Slevin
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Bad news folks: the number of false wolf spiders in the NL has increased tenfold

Scared of spiders? Be careful, the Netherlands has yet another breed to be wary of (and no, we’re not talking about seniors on e-bikes.) 

If you’re looking for some more bad news to distract from the other bad news (housing crisis, inflation, war), well, buckle up.

The number of venomous false wolf spiders, otherwise known as zoropsidae, has increased tenfold in the last five years, reports the NOS. 

Venom, wolf, and spider — a great combination

These spiders, often confused with the wolf spider, are venomous creatures, and, while not outwardly aggressive, have the capability to attack in self-defence. 

Meaning that you definitely shouldn’t do anything to spook these critters — such as innocently minding your own business in close proximity to them. 

Jaws? Spiders have jaws??

False wolf spiders have strong jaws and are able to pierce the skin with their teeth, injecting venom into the blood. 

This bite, while painful, is not much different to the sting of a wasp or bee, but can be dangerous to those who are allergic. 

Spider expert Andrea Dekkers explains to AD, “It can be severe if you are allergic, but for most people, a bite is not dangerous.” 

Keep your hands and feet away — a rolled-up magazine is about to become your new best friend. 

Wolf Spiders versus False Wolf Spiders

Our fuzzy little foe is actually playing dress-up. False wolf spiders can be easily misidentified as wolf spiders. The wolf spider is larger than the zoropsidae, and they are almost never found near homes. 

However, it can be intimidating not to be able to note the difference, especially when you’ve just found a creepy-crawly hiding under your lovely bed. 

The wolf spider lives in burrows in the ground, whereas the false wolf spider lives in its own webs, and, unfortunately, that means you can find the brown fellows in the corner of your house. 

spider-web-outside-house
Spotted a web? We all have! It’s just a question of who it belongs to. Image: Unsplash

Another major difference to note is the difference in eyes — wolf spiders have eight eyes, which include four small eyes lower down on the face, two large eyes above looking forward and two large eyes looking upward. 

Meanwhile, the false wolf spider has eight equally sized eyes in two rows — excuse us while we shiver.

While it’s good to know the difference, we wish you good luck and courage if you get close enough to tell! 

Why the increase?

Sadly, it looks like the false wolf spider is here to stay. Due to rising temperatures, the spiders have made their way from their native Mediterranean areas, finding homes in countries they might not have normally resided. 

As temperatures continue to rise, we will see more and more of our eight-legged enemies, ah-hem, friends, over the next few years. 

Now’s the time to invest in a bucket-load of bug repellent, and maybe send a thought of well-wishes out to our poor arachnophobic friends. 

Have you ever seen a false wolf spider? Leave a comment and tell us about it! 

Off the rails: no NS trains to run on Friday due to regional strikes

Katrien Nivera 🇵🇭
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Off the rails: no NS trains to run on Friday due to regional strikes

Just as promised — the NS announced that no trains in the Netherlands will run on Friday.

The railway company announced they would cancel all trains if regional strikes continued, and they followed through.

While the strike was initially going to affect the Randstad region (except Utrecht), trains will be at a standstill starting Friday, September 9.

Regional strike plans

The staff unions already confirmed their regional strikes on Tuesday, September 13 (North, South and East regions) and Thursday, September 15 (Central region) would have a “major impact on NS train traffic throughout the country”.

“The actions are regional, but the action area is now larger, and our trains and colleagues run throughout the Netherlands,” says the NS to RTL Nieuws.

Last Tuesday, the country also saw a complete halt to train traffic, causing chaos for commuters everywhere.

Insufficient offers

The NS previously offered to increase wages by 2.5% for a limited period, which the trade unions rejected.

In the meantime, the company submitted a new offer, with a wage increase of 5% and a one-time bonus of €650.

The trade union FNV Spoor sees this as the “first step” towards resuming negotiations, but they still have not reached an agreement.

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