The Netherlands: English riots couldn’t happen here, says Labour MP

Labour MP Ahmed Marcouch is not afraid the British riots will be repeated on Dutch streets, Trouw writes on Wednesday.

'We have problem areas here where police are having to tread very carefully but they are far from being the explosive cocktails we see elsewhere,' Marcouch told the paper.

Marcouch cites the drive towards urban renewal as one of the main reasons. ‘You have only to look at the area in Slotervaart [district of Amsterdam] where Theo van Gogh’s killer came from. The flats have been torn down and they are going to build nice houses there. Compare that to some of the inner city estates in Britain,’ he said.

The Dutch are doing more to resolve the underlying problems , says Marcouch. ‘We had a concentration of hundreds of problem families in Slotervaart. It is important to be alert and aware of what is happening and help as much as possible. In times of tension this is how you mobilise those who don’t want to riot.’