EuroKnight
02-08-2005, 01:31 PM
http://am.novopress.info/index.php?p=115#more-115
The Dutch are quick to claim freedom of expression as a fundamental right, but for certain schools and clubs this right does not apply to clothes.
In recent weeks two discos in the north of the Netherlands announced a ban on Lonsdale and Karl Kani clothing.
Lonsdale is a British sportswear label that is very popular among extreme-right supporters, but also worn by others, while Karl Kani describes itself as an urban label and is popular with many black youths.
The owners of the clubs said the youths wearing the clothes were not only causing trouble themselves, but also provoked sometimes violent reactions from other patrons.
After a lot of media attention, one of the discos changed its policy to state that not only Karl Kani, but all urban wear described as “flashy sportswear” was banned.
Just last week a school in the central town of Ijsselstein told two students they would be wise to remove the Dutch flag emblem from their school bags because it could be seen as provocative by Moroccan fellow students.
Several schools have already banned students from wearing Lonsdale and the term “Lons-dale youths” has become an accepted synonym for teen-agers with extreme-right sympathies.
Extreme right youths wear Lonsdale sweaters, often in combination with black bomb-er jackets and military-style boots with white laces. Some skinheads say the letters “nsda” in Lonsdale refer to the Hitler’s NSDAP nazi party.
The Lonsdale brand has been trying extremely hard to rid itself of its extreme right image in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.
It recently introduced a campaign called “Lonsdale loves all colours” and has long supported a host of initiatives to combat racism.
“It is bad for us because we sell the brand, but it’s also a difficult problem from a legal and philosophical point of view to ban certain clothing,” said Geurt Schotsman, the distributor for Lonsdale in the Netherlands.
“For bars and discos I can understand a ban on some clothing. However, in schools I think you are on a slippery slope,” he added. (…)
The Dutch are quick to claim freedom of expression as a fundamental right, but for certain schools and clubs this right does not apply to clothes.
In recent weeks two discos in the north of the Netherlands announced a ban on Lonsdale and Karl Kani clothing.
Lonsdale is a British sportswear label that is very popular among extreme-right supporters, but also worn by others, while Karl Kani describes itself as an urban label and is popular with many black youths.
The owners of the clubs said the youths wearing the clothes were not only causing trouble themselves, but also provoked sometimes violent reactions from other patrons.
After a lot of media attention, one of the discos changed its policy to state that not only Karl Kani, but all urban wear described as “flashy sportswear” was banned.
Just last week a school in the central town of Ijsselstein told two students they would be wise to remove the Dutch flag emblem from their school bags because it could be seen as provocative by Moroccan fellow students.
Several schools have already banned students from wearing Lonsdale and the term “Lons-dale youths” has become an accepted synonym for teen-agers with extreme-right sympathies.
Extreme right youths wear Lonsdale sweaters, often in combination with black bomb-er jackets and military-style boots with white laces. Some skinheads say the letters “nsda” in Lonsdale refer to the Hitler’s NSDAP nazi party.
The Lonsdale brand has been trying extremely hard to rid itself of its extreme right image in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.
It recently introduced a campaign called “Lonsdale loves all colours” and has long supported a host of initiatives to combat racism.
“It is bad for us because we sell the brand, but it’s also a difficult problem from a legal and philosophical point of view to ban certain clothing,” said Geurt Schotsman, the distributor for Lonsdale in the Netherlands.
“For bars and discos I can understand a ban on some clothing. However, in schools I think you are on a slippery slope,” he added. (…)