Police will be banned from wearing religious items of clothing such as headscarves, yarmulkes, and crucifixes with their uniform, justice minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius announced on Wednesday.

“With this regulation, there will be clarity about the neutrality of the uniform,” the VVD minister said after parliament asked her to clarify the issue.

“The word uniform says it all: it should always be the same with a police officer on the street.”

Some items will still be allowed “in other places,” such as wearing a headscarf at the police station, Yesilgöz said.

“I hope that the discussion is over and that there is no longer a political discussion on this subject on the backs of agents,” she added.

‘Religious neutrality’ will be explicitly included in new rules regarding police clothing. In case of doubt, police can judge for themselves based on the new rules.

A majority of MPs support Yesilgöz’s opposition to combining religious items with uniforms.

“It is sometimes said that this has to do with discrimination, but that really falls short of what this is really about: neutrality,” she said.

“The police is an inclusive organisation that is working hard to be even more inclusive … I don’t think a visible expression of a religion or belief is appropriate for officers in uniform.

“These are people who represent the government and who are mandated to use force if necessary.”

Criticism

But not all agree. The issue has come up time and again during a series of town hall meetings, with Rabin Baldewsingh, the National Coordinator Against Discrimination and Racism (NCDR), calling the cabinet hard of hearing. He criticised Yesilgöz for shutting out some communities, including the Muslim community.

“She’s not prepared to discuss it, and I think that’s very stupid,” he said. “You’re not serving society if a section of society is excluded from playing their full part because of what you think.”