Azc in Madurodam

The current political power has failed time and again to create a proper and humane asylum policy. Multiple asylum seekers' centres in the Netherlands are empty, while thousands of people on the Greek islands have to live in appalling conditions. Therefore, by placing this model in Madurodam, we are showing a part of the Netherlands that is often hidden on the edges of villages, away from civilisation. A part that we would rather avoid and be blind to.

However, DWARS does not close its eyes to the refugee issue. With this action, we are asking the rest of the Netherlands to do the same. An azc is the place where many new Dutch citizens spend their first months or years. By placing this model in Madurodam, we want to emphasise the austerity of an asylum seekers' centre. We call for a faster and better asylum procedure. Currently, newcomers are sent back and forth between different reception locations for years.

In our view, therefore, the Netherlands must now, precisely, propagate the Dutch humanitarian principles it has ignored for so long. The time to help and act is now. After all, this country has been taking in refugees since time immemorial. Just think of the Antwerpers during the Eighty Years' War, the French Huguenots, the Spanish and Portuguese Jews, the million Belgians who came here during World War I or the refugees from Yugoslavia of the 1990s. We need to draw inspiration from these expressions of solidarity and empathy from the past. DWARS therefore argues that it is precisely these ideas that should be pursued in the current era.

We believe that in an era of uncertainty, the Netherlands should be prepared to do its bit. Accommodating refugees is part of the Netherlands and Dutch culture. It is part of our humanitarian duty. As Madurodam is a mirror of everything that is typically Dutch, an asylum seekers' centre can naturally not be missing. By placing this maquette, we therefore convey a clear message. Asylum seekers, despite all the problems and all the discussions, have become an inseparable part of the Netherlands.