Racist vandalism turns the Wij Flevoland logo into a message of hate
The letters of the Wij Flevoland (We are Flevoland) sign near Urk were vandalized and written on last night. The letters had been placed last week to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the province of Flevoland.
The vandals rearranged the letters to form the phrase 'Wij vol land', while the unused letters, which are about two meters tall, were left lying on the ground. Phrases such as 'defend NL' meaning 'defend the Netherlands' and 'azc weg ermee' meaning 'remove the asylum centers' were written on the letters. According to Omroep Flevoland, these phrases carry anti-immigrant messages.
The district expressed its regret for what happened, considering that the work symbolizing unity and communication has been damaged in a disappointing manner, and confirmed that it will file an official report regarding the vandalism.
The letters were installed at the industrieterrein Port of Urk (the industrial area of Urk port), with plans to move them every two months to another location within the province as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations. It is still unclear whether this plan will continue, as the province has currently decided to remove the letters and study the possibility of repairing or replacing them.
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