Dutch academic and politician Mpanzu Bamenga was stopped by border police in his home town of Eindhoven for matching the risk profile of a so-called 'Nigerian money smuggler' (Photo: Merlin Daleman)

The Dutch politician suing the Dutch state for ethnic-profiling

Rule of Law

Opinion

by Jelle Klaas, Eindhoven,

Mpanzu Bamenga, a Dutch (black) academic and local politician, arrived in 2018 at the airport of his hometown Eindhoven after having lectured on human rights in Italy.

He was selected at the airport by the Dutch border police for a passport check, because his appearance matched the risk profile of a so-called "Nigerian money smuggler", a profile which had been defined by the border police.

This risk profile contained ethnicity or perceived nationality as an element for the selec...

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Rule of Law Opinion

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver

Author Bio

Jelle Klaas is a human rights lawyer at Public Interest Litigation Project (PILP), a member of the Civil Liberties for Europe (Liberties) network representing Mpanzu Bamenga.

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Dutch academic and politician Mpanzu Bamenga was stopped by border police in his home town of Eindhoven for matching the risk profile of a so-called 'Nigerian money smuggler' (Photo: Merlin Daleman)