The word allochtoon, literally meaning non-native, should no longer be applied to people born in the Netherlands, immigration minister Gerd Leers told a meeting on Monday night, according to the Telegraaf.
‘I want people born in the Netherlands to be called Dutch, plain and simple, not non-native,’ Leers told the readers of women’s magazine Libelle.
‘I can understand why people who give themselves 100% to society ask themselves why they are being dismissed in such a derogatory way.’
Dictionary
Government departments and institutions have different definitions of the word, which according to the Van Dale dictionary, means migrant, foreigner or alien.
However, in popular usage, allochtoon is mainly used to describe non-western immigrants and their children. The third generation of Turkish and Moroccan immigrants are still known as allochtoon despite being born and brought up in Holland.
The Telegraaf says Leers’ standpoint is notable because the anti-Islam PVV, which has an alliance with the minority cabinet, wants to make use of the word broader.