She would actually go to Maastricht for a day with SP MP Renske Leijten, who is also committed to victims of the allowance affair. But that turned out differently. On Tuesday morning, lawyer Eva González Pérez stood on the stage of Muziekcentrum Eindhoven, she received a royal award from Mayor Jorritsma of Eindhoven.
González Pérez found out that it would be another day than planned when her husband put on a suit in the morning. And on the way in the car, she kept wondering what was going to happen. But all she was told was not to fish like that. It all turned out to be part of a big surprise: from the mayor she was awarded the Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau.
“I thought maybe it would be my turn in thirty years.”
The passionate lawyer had not seen it coming at all. “I see people here getting an award because they’ve been volunteering for decades. I thought it might be my turn in thirty years.” She is delighted with the award, which she sees as recognition of her commitment to the victims of the benefits affair.
“We can be happy that we live in a democratic state under the rule of law, but things sometimes go wrong between citizens and the government there,” said Mayor Jorritsma. González Perez knows all about that. She assists dozens of people who are the victims of the infamous allowance affair. People who were wrongly portrayed by the tax authorities as fraudsters and who therefore ended up deeply in debt.
“She was for many the only hope of a way up.”
The motivation for the award is full of praise: “Eva González Peréz has been an unbelievably great support for many years for longnuts who got stuck in the system through no fault of their own. For many, she was the steadfast pillar and only hope for a way up. Through her rock-solid confidence in righteousness it has become part of our national history,” it reads.
But while it’s a huge recognition for her work in the benefits affair, that doesn’t mean the work is already done. Many victims still have major problems and despite promises, much has not yet been solved for them. As a knight, Eva González Pérez continues to work for the victims of the allowance affair.
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