Security measures taken at 53 mosques in Amsterdam
Destruction and efforts
In February 2019, the Municipal Executive has to improve the resilience of Islamic institutions. Those institutions have suffered from graffiti, vandalism and attacks in recent years, says Halsema. The mayor mentioned the destruction at the Westermoskee as a recent example from Amsterdam. In December last year a man there smashed three windows with a stone, in July this year a glass was smashed with a beer bottle.
No guarantee
The implemented measures ranged from foil on the windows, shock lighting with motion sensors and extra night lighting to anti-burglary strips and a fire-retardant layer on wooden exterior doors. There is no guarantee that destruction, violence or arson will be prevented, no guarantee. ‘It provides more resilience against this and helps to improve the general sense of security.’
offer
In total, the municipality has 69 institutions with the offer to implement the safety measures. Sixteen institutions did not take up that offer. The entire project is more than 1 million euros. (ANP)