Have you been checked at an airport? Do you think it had to do with your skin color or ethnicity? If so, we would like to get in touch with you. The Meldpunt Discriminatie Regio Amsterdam is one of the anti-discrimination facilities that will actively investigate what people experience during border controls at airports. Our complaint handlers are there for you. They offer a listening ear and can offer support in conducting a complaints procedure. You can submit your reports online via the ethnic profiling form (radar.co.uk or report-discrimination.now) , or call the toll-free number 0800-1237. Our staff is available during business hours.
Border checks
Those traveling through a Dutch airport may be checked by the Royal Military Police. These border controls include selection on external appearance, skin color or origin (ethnicity). Moreover, the Royal Military Police works with risk profiles that include ethnicity. For example, men who walk quickly, are well dressed and who look "non-Dutch" would pose an additional risk.
Ethnic profiling
We call this ethnic profiling. It is a form of discrimination that violates human rights and Dutch law. Ethnic profiling is harmful to the people it affects, contributes to stigmatization of ethnic minorities, erodes trust in the government and proves ineffective in fighting crime.
Lawsuit against Dutch state
Amnesty International, Control Alt Delete and anti-discrimination agency RADAR have been pushing for action against ethnic profiling for years. Together with two individual citizens and with the help of the Public Interest Litigation Project of the Dutch Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, they file a lawsuit against the Dutch state. They are asking the judge to set a limit
pull and prohibit ethnic profiling.