Omroep Flevoland – News – Mayors of Dronten and Zeewolde: timing of anti-Semitism letter to colleagues inconvenient

We support the content of the anti-Semitism letter from our fellow mayors, but we do not believe the time at which that letter was published is convenient. This is what Mayor Gerrit Jan Gorter of Zeewolde and Mayor Jean Paul Gebben of Dronten say.

They are the only two of the six mayors in Flevoland who did not sign the letter that was distributed on Friday by the municipality of Amsterdam. That letter was signed by almost all mayors in the Netherlands. They speak out against the rising anti-Semitism. They argue that anti-Semitism never went away after the Second World War, and already surfaced more often in the years before the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7 last year.

Mayor Gebben and Gorter share the concerns of their colleagues, but find the time so close to May 4 very inconvenient. Also because there is a lot of unrest among the Muslim community. As a result, the letter could actually have a polarizing effect and increase the contradictions.

“I think it is important, especially now, in this time of unrest where parts of our population may be emotionally affected, to connect with each other,” Mayor Gebben van Dronten said in a response.

A total of 329 mayors from the 342 municipalities in the Netherlands have signed the letter.