Replace ‘integration’ with ‘mutual acceptance’, says political party Denk

Fledgling political party Denk wants to replace the use of the word ‘integration’ when talking about immigrants and replace it by ‘mutual acceptance’, according to its draft manifesto, which was published on Monday.

The party, formed by two dissident Labour MPs, also says that ‘colonial’ street names should be scrapped, that people should be given more say about how the police operate in their neighbourhoods and that 16-year-olds should be able to vote.

‘There are more people in the Netherlands who need to accept integrated people than people who need to integrate,’ the party states in the document. ‘Society is changing and that needs to be accepted and embraced.’

Other points from the manifesto include:

  • Measures to end discrimination in education and in the labour market
  • Healthcare to be seen as a social good, not just an expense
  • Chemical castration for child abusers
  • Better access to the legal system and legal aid
  • Retirement age to go back to 65
  • Own risk in healthcare to be cut and premiums reduced
  • More structural help for small firms
  • ‘More Europe, less Brussels’
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