First demonstrators along royal route in Aruba | royalty

At the end of their first day in Aruba, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and Princess Amalia were confronted with protesters for the first time during their tour of the Antilles.

Four demonstrators stood among thousands of other interested people in the village of San Nicolas, who demanded attention from the Oranges for the air quality and the rights of the indigenous Caquetio tribe. State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen (Kingdom Relations) received a petition from a representative of this group, Aruban Warriors. “Thank you for giving it, I’ll be glad to take it.”

On behalf of Aruban Warriors, Helena Croes states that she ‘does not want’ the state’s slavery apologies. “We want back the gold that the royal family stole from this island.” Among the other demands she conveyed to Van Huffelen is a private driver’s license and passport for the indigenous population in Aruba, in addition to retaining the Dutch documents.

Four demonstrators stood among thousands of other interested people in the village of San Nicolas, who demanded attention from the Oranges for the air quality and the rights of the indigenous Caquetio tribe. © Jeroen Schmale

Poison fumes

Another protester, Anouk Balentina (pictured above right), fights against the air pollution coming from a rubbish dump on the island. “I have already gone through all legal avenues, so I have written an open letter to the king, in which I remind him of his oath at the inauguration as king that he would uphold the law. We have to live here under toxic fumes, our human rights are fundamentally violated and we are not as protected as European Dutch people.”

When asked why there were only four demonstrators along the packed route, Croes states that ‘many Arubans are ‘terrified’ of the royal family. “It has been passed down from generation to generation.”

Introductory trip

From 27 January to 9 February, the 19-year-old Princess Amalia will be introduced to the Caribbean part of the Netherlands as heir to the throne. The princess and her parents started on Bonaire and went from there to Aruba. This is followed by Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba.

About 107,000 people live on Aruba. The country – Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten are countries, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are special municipalities – making it the island with the most inhabitants after Curaçao. More than 150,000 people live on Curaçao.

Alexandra van Huffelen, State Secretary for Kingdom Relations and Digitization, speaks with demonstrators during a visit by King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princess Amalia to the village of San Nicolas in Aruba.

Alexandra van Huffelen, State Secretary for Kingdom Relations and Digitization, speaks with demonstrators during a visit by King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princess Amalia to the village of San Nicolas in Aruba. © ANP

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