“You are not sitting at the table with like-minded people – that is not the intention,” is what the National Dialogue in The Hague said.

It had been a long time since he was in Madurodam, Prime Minister Dick Schoof tells the audience in a room at the miniature park in The Hague. He will be there on Tuesday afternoon to give the starting signal for the National Dialogue. It is the first of six meetings in which administrators and citizens from different parts of society discuss difficult themes.

The dialogue sessions are organized by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW). The conversations should contribute to more cohesion and better contact between citizens and government. Ministry officials listen in during the sessions so that the proceeds can be used for future policy.

“We have tried to invite as many people as possible with a diverse background,” says Jurgen Nobel, State Secretary for Participation and Integration (VVD). “There are many tensions in society, a lot of polarization. It is important to continue to talk to each other despite the differences and to look at what unites us.”

Prior to the dialogue sessions, a panel discussion will take place with, among others, Nobel; Mpanzu Bamenga (D66), co-sponsor of a motion that initiated the dialogue; documentary maker Fidan Ekiz and columnist René Cuperus, author of Dropped out Netherlands.

“I have been longing to be able to enter into dialogue with each other again for a long time,” says Ekiz. She is happy if people are willing to do that. “So that is where we are now in the Netherlands.” She mentions Israel-Gaza: “People think: you are on my side, or you are diametrically opposed to me.”

Firework bomb

Bamenga asks whether you should still enter into dialogue “where there is discrimination or anti-Semitism or the Holocaust is denied.” At the same time, he calls on people to “take a step forward” if they have the patience to talk to people who think differently. “Especially when that is more difficult than usual.”

The participants talk about questions such as: what does Dutch society mean to you? What is a topic that has most affected you and your community this past year? Discussions take place at the tables in groups of eight to ten people under the guidance of independent discussion leaders.

“You are not sitting at the table with like-minded people – that is not the intention,” says the chairman. “But with people who are concerned about similar themes. That is the basis for a real conversation.” The press is not welcome during the sessions, so that participants can speak freely.

One of them is Abdulahi Hussen, a civil servant at the municipality of Utrecht. Vo talks about what he and his family had to deal with in . “I notice that polarization and contradictions literally have consequences. When things become more exciting in society, we also notice this at home. In May we had to deal with a fireworks bomb. We have had swastikas on our house before, I have been waited for and followed. It seems to be about ” He hopes to discuss the differences with each other this afternoon, but also to celebrate and accept that not everyone is the same.

Nitrogen

Afterwards, during it walking dinnerhere and there we talk about the personal stories that made an impression. “We had to simmer on the surface for a while, and then we went into the depths,” says Jurrella Kleinmorgen, group leader of WeertLokaal. “It was so respectful. We could just say: I have a different opinion about that.”

Dairy farmer Marije van Velthoven says that her group discussed nitrogen – an important theme for her as a farmer – but also about anti-Semitism, the LGBTI community and the role of village coordinators as a bridge between citizens and government. “If I briefly reflect on what we had in common: too often problems are attributed to a specific target group. This hardens the social debate.”

Zoom in

Femke van der Plas, confidential counselor at the interest group for farmers and gardeners ZLTO, says that her group talked about trust in the government. “We discussed whether the government can make more contact and be more visible. Citizens are therefore more forgiving if something goes wrong.”

“For a long time we praised ourselves for our tolerance. Here you can be who you are, and everyone lives in peace with each other,” says Schoof in his speech at the start of the day. “But living together often turned out to be living side by side. Tolerance has too often become a euphemism for indifference. And that, as far as I’m concerned, is even worse than disagreeing with each other.”

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