(NL Times) The mayor of Delft, Marja van Bijsterveldt, regrets the impact that the municipality’s investigation into the Muslim community in the Zuid-Holland town had, but will not apologize for it. In an interview with de Volkskrant, van Bijsterveldt, who is stepping down Tuesday after nine years as mayor, said that Delft acted in good conscience at the time, considering the context and the era. “An apology would not be sincere to me in that light, just an empty gesture.”
In 2017 and 2018, Delft, like several other municipalities, commissioned an investigation into radicalization and extremism within the Islamic community. The investigation was carried out by the company Nuance door Training & Advies (NTA) and funded by the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV).
