Dutch MPs from the three-party right-wing ruling alliance have reacted furiously to comments from Amsterdam police chief Bernard Welten in which he said his officers would not necessarily arrest a woman wearing a burqa, once a ban is brought in.
MPs from the ruling VVD have called on Welten to take back the statement, while Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-Islam PVV said the police chief should ‘pack his things and go’ if he refuses to uphold the law. (Befehl ist befehl)
During an interview on television, Welten described the issue as ‘extremely complicated’. ‘I think that the woman would be spoken to about the fact she is wearing a burqa. But I do not believe that we will … arrest that woman,’ he said. ‘As a police officer, you have to think… and you have to think hard before taking such a step.’