Pete Hoekstra does not distance himself from saying 'chaos in the Netherlands'

[brooklynite]

Source: NRC Handelsblad

(translated)

On Wednesday the US ambassador in the Netherlands, Pete Hoekstra, refused to distance himself from his statements from 2015, when he claimed during a meeting of an anti-Islam organization that "politicians and cars" were set on fire in the Netherlands and that "no -go zones ".

During a press conference at the American ambassador's residence in The Hague, Hoekstra gave a four-time answer to the question whether he still supports his remarks. "I do not want to return to that issue," he said. "Thank you." Ambassadors of the embassy prevented questions about the subject, under the protest of journalists.

In 2015, Hoekstra said at a congress of the David Horowitz Freedom Center that the "Islamic movement" caused chaos in Europe and the Netherlands. "Chaos in the Netherlands", he said. "There are cars that are burned and there are politicians who are being burned. And yes, there are no-go areas in the Netherlands. "

Read more: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2018/01/10/vs-ambassadeur-pete-hoekstra-neemt-geen-afstand-van-zn-uitspraak-over-chaos-in-nederland-a1587801

[SwissTony]

1. Strange. I haven't noticed any chaos.

But what would I know? I only live in The Netherlands.

[SpankMe]

2. The article's in Dutch.

I think. I don't read whatever language that article is in.

[getagrip_already]

3. welcome to 2018......

Right click, choose translate to english.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. "This is the Netherlands. You have to answer questions."

Retweeted by David Fahrenthold: https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold

“This is the Netherlands, you have to answer questions”

Link to tweet

WorldViews

Reporters to Trump ambassador: ‘This is the Netherlands — you have to answer questions’

By Eli Rosenberg and Amar Nadhir January 10 at 11:21 PM

Peter Hoekstra, the newly minted U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, held his first news conference with the Dutch media at his new residence in The Hague on Wednesday. ... It did not go well.

Dutch journalists peppered Hoekstra with questions on unsubstantiated claims he made in 2015 about chaos that the “Islamic movement” had allegedly brought to the Netherlands. .... When pressed by the Dutch reporters, Hoekstra declined to retract the comments or give specific examples to back them up. ... In fact, after saying that he would not be “revisiting the issue,” he simply refused to answer the question at all.

{Trump lauded delivery of F-52s to Norway. The planes only exist in ‘Call of Duty.’}

But the reporters were not done with the line of questioning. Instead of moving on, another reporter would simply ask a variation of the query again.

“Everybody there had one question: That crazy statement you made, are you going to withdraw it?” Roel Geeraedts, a political reporter at the Dutch television station RTL Nieuws, said in a phone interview about the event. “We were not getting answers, so we all kept asking it.” ... Geeraedts published a segment with video of the remarkable exchange on social media.

Link to tweet

....
Eli Rosenberg is a reporter on the Washington Post's General Assignment team. He can be reached at [e-mail] Follow @emrosenberg

[Paladin]

5. It really did my heart good...

...seeing the Netherlands press corps tearing this moron a new asshole. I have never been more embarrassed to be an American.

[Turbineguy]

6. Hoekstra meets the King.

http://www.dvhn.nl/groningen/Oud-Groninger-Pete-Hoekstra-is-onvermurwbaar-22810634.html