Behind the scenes of Venray
Het is begin april 2005 and the North Limburg town of Venray gets his five minutes of fame. On a Saturday afternoon, a group of young people waiting for the start of a Hardcore Party. From this group,, assaults a number located on the Turkish mosque. In response, returns a group of Turkish young people against the "Lonsdale". Police remove the groups almost immediately apart, but a national uproar was born.
In the months prior to this disturbance, the number of violent incidents where so-called "Lonsdale youth" involved in, in raging speed increased. Violent actions from these youth had already been a recurring phenomenon, but since the murder of Theo van Gogh, there seems no stopping. After a week of events in Venray, an Islamic school in Uden for the second time the victim of an arson, Saturday afternoon the riot was the straw that broke the camel. Venray achieved national and even international news. And left soon hear politics itself. Initially, through the mayor stated that the riot was caused by young people from outside Venray. Then also interfered national politics with it. In question time, the Ministers were Donner (Justice) and Verdonk (Integration) bombarded about Venray and the problems Lonsdale youth. The discussion that this resulted in the House was as remarkable as painful. Despite the very serious acts of violence committed in the past year from circles of extreme right-wing youth (#1), Minister Verdonk refused because even a second to recognize the gravity of. Verdonk kenschetste it as "adolescent behavior", further they blamed immigrant youth a "short fuse" to have. LPF fraction made it even more colorful and stated among other things that "the young people who do this are simply rowdy and nothing to do with the extreme right." And "after we have found that many are infested streets in major cities by immigrant gangs, it is understandable – how despicable it is – that it defends itself against in rural municipalities, that form close communities. (...) We are dealing with left-wing extremism and Islamic extremism. The response, that is detestable and which I disapprove, of course, is not the cause. "
Fortunately, there are more people who are working on this problem. Soon the question arose in the media and the national policy on, whether this violence was organized. When answering this question, Rita Verdonk, played a prominent role. To get a better view of the situation she personally pile height in Venray. There they spoke with young people from the various quarreling groups. Afterwards she declared in Nova (zie videolink, start at minute 17) that the youth could not convince her that there was more to it than a village quarrel. She said she had not seen a right-wing youth. Striking, because Verdonk was face to face with the treasurer of the German Youth in Netherlands, Tom van den Hoek. (See photos of Allegiance 15 april 2005, which Tom van den Hoek far right state).
Anyway, the lack of knowledge of Minister Verdonk is obviously not yet evidence that an organized association of right-wing extremists can be held responsible for the riot in Venray. But there is something more to say about it, namely the involvement of a group that the Northern Limburg has been making more unsafe.
Rond 2001 arose in the South Gelderland region and North Limburg is a group of extreme right-wing sympathies, whose members knew each other from the Gabber Circuit. Initially, she joined the Nazi organization Stormfront Netherlands (SFN). In a relatively short time were members of the group responsible for a series of violent and sensational incidents. Boxmeer was an immigrant stabbed, Grave in a boy was severely mistreated, Ravenstein was a Somali family tried to drive, Tilburg was scolded a Somali woman with children and spat and an immigrant motorist was attacked in Nijmegen. In some cases, members of the group were arrested and sometimes leading to a conviction.
After the disintegration of SFN in 2002/2003, remained part of this Gelderland Limburg branch intact. In 2004 they founded the "United Dutch Aryan Brotherhood" (VNAB). Key Figures in VNAB included Johnboy Willemse Ravenstein and Angela Fox from Alphen, both of which have been arrested in a previous period for violence of Gelderland Limburg SFN branch.
This new VNAB joined a fairly large group of young people in a short time, from the gabber scene in the Eindhoven-Venlo-Nijmegen. One of them was the 19-year-old Tom van den Hoek from Venray.
Eind 2004 the VNAB decided himself to lift again. The members decided to continue as Germanic Youth in Netherlands, of the Dutch People's Union youth organization (NVU). Johnboy Willemse was president of this club and Tom van den Hoek treasurer. Angela, however, Fox was not a member. They seemed to initially opt for the National Alliance (she attended a demonstration of that party), but nevertheless seems recently to develop a preference for NCE.
What has this history with the events in Venray? At first glance, not much. But for those who look closely at those present in Venray on the day of the fight is definitely there to see a connection. Because who walked on Saturday 2 April around Venray? Johnboy Willemse in Angela de Vos. It would also be surprised if Tom van den Hoek that day was not in Venray. Venray is his hometown and he is from the Hardcore Scene. Or the presence of these persons is an explanation for the violence or even a reason to see an organization behind the riot is obviously a second. But it makes more sense anyway to scrutinize this structure in Venray and environment than to put off the event as adolescent behavior and rowdiness.
Noot #1
A far from complete list appeared in NRC Handelsblad 2 april 2005. Notable incidents were the series of arson after the murder of Van Gogh, but also a shooting in Muiderberg, a shooting in Raamsdonkveer and a firebomb at a house in Stadskanaal.
