Newswise — Protesters in the Netherlands are expected to disrupt the traditional two minutes of silence honoring Dutch World War II veterans in what they've called the 'No May 4 for Me' movement. Annemarie Toebosch, director of Dutch and Flemish studies at the University of Michigan, can discuss the protest that takes place in a country with increasingly open racial tensions. Toebosch teaches Dutch language courses focusing on race and ethnicity issues in Dutch politics and cultural-history.
"The activists take issue with the fact that Indonesian victims who were killed in the Netherlands' attempt to re-colonize Indonesia after WWII are excluded from remembrance while their killers are remembered," she said.
"Among them were Dutch Nazi SS men held in captivity in post-war Netherlands and sent to Indonesia as part of what the Dutch call their 'police actions.' Around 100,000 Indonesians were killed and executed in these "actions" that are better characterized as war crimes with an Indonesia that had already declared its independence."
Contact Toebosch: 734-546-5451, [email protected]
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