On 16 March 2016 it was in the news that PSV supporters on a terrace in Madrid before the match between Atlético Madrid and PSV Eindhoven of 15 March 2016 had misbehaved by humiliating female Roma beggars. The message was supported with video images. Three of the on the images visible actions were in the news characterized as misbehaviour and humiliation for the Roma beggars. Firstly the beggars were thrown change money at. Secondly beggars were asked to do push-ups for change money. And thirdly a five euro note was burned right in front of the eyes of a beggar. That these actions can be characterized as humiliating and as misbehaviour is here not discussed. Also some political leaders from different countries who expressed themselves about the quickly and massively spread images did not discuss this. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, president of Turkey, shamed these actions of Westerners and also the Spanish premier Mariano Rajoy Brey considered the actions barbarian. The latter considered even persecution of the wrongdoers of the actions. As a reaction then also the Dutch prime-minister Mark Rutte didn't stay aside. For towards his Spanish colleague he too expressed his disgust.
That Mark Rutte expressed his disgust about the above mentioned actions may however be called 'remarkable'. For under his VVD cabinet are very similar actions ordained in the Participation Law [in Dutch Participatiewet] which in 2015 has come into force. In that law municipalities are ordained to give benefits to persons in the Netherlands who are, or are in danger of, finding themselves in such conditions that they do not have the means at their disposal to provide in the necessary costs of living. That these benefits are meagre to get by well is generally known. And that they also are not proportional to the incomes and financial capacity of those that ordain and support this law also needs no discussion. In a certain sense is by means of the Participation Law then by the more wealthy thrown change money at those on benefits.
And for this change money then municipalities are further ordained in the Participation Law to assign a return. That such a return already before the institution of the Participation Law could go further than the already humiliating experienced paper pricking was proven by municipalities like Rotterdam and Gilze en Rijen. For there were those on benefits obliged to play korfball or to jog. So here by VVD supporters the same principle is employed as that of the PSV supporters who let beggars do push-ups for some change money. The argumentation that the korfball and jogging are for the gaining of labour fitness is only valid when it is acknowledged that the push-ups of the beggars can be seen likewise.
Under these humiliating ordinances at the same time those on benefits see that municipalities are further ordained to offer provisions aimed at labour mobilization. And under that ordinances by municipalities then millions are pumped into mostly senseless reintegration projects that lead to nothing. Thus those on benefits see the money that they in their poverty could have used well turn to smoke right front of their eyes, just as the beggars on the terrace in Madrid saw the money note of a PSV supporter turn to smoke right before their eyes.
Now here it is not asked of Mark Rutte and of the VVD supporters to approve the behaviour of the PSV supporters. In contrary. What however here is asked is some measure of consistency. When the ordinances in the Participation Law are cheered then the actions of the PSV supporters should not less loud be cheered. But when those actions are detested then it may be expected that the ordinances in the Participation Law are also detested. For the principles are exactly the same. Whoever is not consistent in this can be considered as without principles and as hypocrite. And that too is to be detested.