The chairman of the Huizer May 4 committee is resigning now that the municipality of Huizen does not want to change the name of Prins Bernhardplein. The resistance monument, where Remembrance Day takes place every year, is located on that square. Chairman Hein Hoffmann feels sad that the square still bears the name of someone who was a member of a Nazi party.
Hein Hoffmann says he is still speechless when someone asks him why a square in Huizen is named after someone who was a member of Adolf Hitler’s political party just before the war.
De Huizer himself also requested the municipality to change the name of Prins Bernhardplein and, for example, give it the name of a local resistance hero, but the request was rejected.
Cowardly behavior
The outgoing chairman indicates that he is not angry, but does announce his departure in strong words. For example, he calls the municipality’s actions ‘extremely weak’ and ‘cowardly’. “They point to the national government. They should start an investigation into the late Prince Bernhard,” he explains. But that has nothing to do with the name change of a ‘local square’, says Hoffmann.
In addition, the municipality actually says that Prince Bernhard ‘has also done a lot of good’, even though he has been convicted of bribery, among other things.
If Huizen really does not want to change the name of the square, De Huizer proposes to place a kind of ‘information leaflet’ with the nameplate. This would then provide more context about Prince Bernhard’s past. The municipality does not want that either, so Hoffmann will resign after next spring’s commemoration.
No successor
Hoffmann may be somewhat disappointed, but he does say that he looks back on his twelve years as chairman of the memorial committee with gratitude and pride.
De Huizer emphasizes that he has worked well and constructively with mayors Hertog, Heldoorn and Meijer during his years. The current chairman also says that he ‘has confidence in handing over his duties to his successor’.
But that is still a point: no successor has yet been found. Volunteers are scarce, says Hoffmann. It is unclear whether the name of the square will make the search for a new chairman difficult.
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