News from Amsterdam


To the front page

11/1 Jurists want to stay in Oudemanhuispoort

8/2 Mayor’s portrait

8/2 Websites for social cohesion

7/2 Spreading tourism proceeds with difficulty

7/2 GroenLinks on districts: Be a man

6/2 Zuideramstel opens new office on Sabbath

5/2 The truth about integration

4/2 Wilders has little support on Amsterdam

3/2 Elite involved in neighbourhood

2/2 Johnnie Walker avoids taxes in Amsterdam

1/2 Rotterdam to tinker with district councils as well

31/1 Wooden rowing boats to disappear from Amstel

31/1 ZeeburgTV launched

27/1 Privacy activists to mess up loyalty card system

27/1 A few were still coughing, but that was an act

27/1 Chrisis in de Baarsjes

26/1 Youth have positive view of districts

24/1 Action groups call for Carmel and Jaffa boycott

24/1 PvdA members dismiss plan for districts

23/1 KLM takes on crisis with new uniform

23/1 District office not squatted

21/1 Merge districts

20/1 Closing squat bar Vrankrijk not necessary

20/1 Cleaners welcome new Schiphol director

18/1 Palestine at the Jewish Historical Museum

18/1 What is the right size for a district?

17/1 PvdA Oost against fewer districts

16/1 Committee: 7 districts by 2010

15/1 Soldiers may attend Afghanistan debate after all

15/1 Bait bike leads to arrest

14/1 Youth for Christ to republish vacancies

13/1 Paintings of the Zuidas

13/1 New Youth for Christ contoversy

11/1 Social cohesion initiative raises eyebrows

10/1 Fewer districts in 2010

10/1 Zuidas: People feel that we are losers

9/1 Fun on the ice - but not for all

9/1 Supermarket coupon fraud thwarted

9/1 I Amsterdam must remain exclusive

8/1 Use term Apartheid in every discussion

8/1 No city kiosk in Amsterdam yet

7/1 Snow

7/1 Fatima Elatik to run Zeeburg

7/1 Municipal managers to return to shop floor

4/1 Police: take photo of strange people

3/1 Gaza protest criticises politicians

1/1 Thousands to protest against attacks on Gaza

1/1 Mustapha Laboui leaves district council

 

2008 Archive

2007 Archive

2006 Archive

2005 Archive

 

 

 

 

'Council member snubbed language police'

25 October 2008 - Taalverdediging (Language Defence), and organisation that has been associated with far right groups, is campaigning against the use of the term 'real time parking' in Amsterdam. Council member Mirjam Bergervoet (PvdA) would have hung up on them.

When the organisation called Bergervoet about the issue, she would have asked them "how we dared bother her with something as absurd as that", the Taalverdediging newsletter reported. She would have said that her party has no problem whatsoever with the use of the English language, since everybody here understands that language. After that, she would have hung up on the language activists.

The organisation AFA, which publishes a regular digest of the right-wing media, applauds Bergervoet's response. Meanwhile, Bergervoet herself disputes Taalverdediging's account of what happened. Asked whether what the organisation claims happened is correct, she responded 'Of course not!' in an e-mail. She would have ended the conversation when it became clear that there was 'little sense' in continuing the discussion given the fanaticism of the Taalverdediging representative.

According to the Taalverdediging newsletter, other parties would have responded more politely to their calls. An SP policy advisor would have said that the increasing use of the English language by the municipality reflects a 'grachtengordel' (elitist) mentality.

Other Taalverdediging activities include a campaign against the use of the term Stop/Go for a minibus service in Amsterdam; a campaign to have the 'Old Amsterdam' cheese renamed 'Oud Amsterdam' and a campaign against exclusive use of the English language at signs at Schiphol Airport.

 

Want to receive News from Amsterdam? Click here

This is the old website. Please find new content here