Unanimous reactions of disgust and support for Mayor Boy Scholtze van Drimmelen. The youngest mayor in the Netherlands was almost hit and insulted this week because of his sexual orientation. “Absolutely unacceptable what happened yesterday. This is even worse than the first time,” says Riebert Verheugen of Lijst Harry Bakker. Earlier this year, the mayor got a paving stone through his window.
Verheugen is very shocked by the seriousness of the incident. “The first thing I thought was: again?” He is in consultation with other faction leaders to be able to issue a joint statement to the residents of Drimmelen on Thursday that this is unacceptable. But also a statement with which the parties jointly express their support for the mayor. There is a regular council meeting in Drimmelen on Thursday.
“The suspect is a danger to everyone on the street.”
Danique Hoeve, the leader of the VVD party and a party colleague of the mayor, also has no words for the action of the 76-year-old perpetrator from Made. “This is absolutely not possible. Everyone should be able to feel safe in our municipality.” She finds the suspect ‘a danger to everyone on the street’ and believes that he ‘should be punished harshly’. According to Hoeve, the mayor receives a lot of support from the villagers. “He feels very supported and accepted.”
“We would like to talk to him and the municipality about how this is possible and why.”
The COC, an interest group for the LGBTI community, calls the incident “terrible and horrible”. Chairman Pien Merkx–Roijackers says that she has already been in contact with Scholtze to support him. “We would like to talk to him and the municipality about how this is possible and why.”
“There is no place for such behavior. Swearing about orientation or gender makes no sense. Not to be accepted.” According to her, it does not matter whether it concerns homophobia or another conflict between the suspect and the municipality.