International child abduction has been an issue for many years. There have been widely publicised cases in several countries, usually involving the abduction of a child of a western mother after a divorce, and the removal of the child to an Islamic country. There is a book and a film on one case - “Not Without My Children”.

Until now, media and public sympathy has been with the mothers, with pressure to get the child back. It resulted in an international treaty, see

 http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391080

Attitudes may be changing. In a recent case in the Netherlands, a 7-year-old Somali boy was abducted by family from a playground, back to Somalia. The parents were divorced, and the boy lived with his grandmother in Eindhoven. The right-wing ‘New Right’ party, a Fortuyn splinter party, came out in support of the abduction, and opposed efforts to get the child returned.

The party’s leader, Michiel Smit, said he was “glad the boy was back in Somalia”, and that it had not cost the immigration minister 2300 Euro to send him back. (Refused asylum seekers are offered 2300 Euro to leave the country immediately without an appeal). Smit said the Netherlands should not try to get the boy returned, but should send the grandmother to Somalia instead.

It’s not clear if this is an original tactic, but it seems likely that other racist parties will copy it, it would be typical for the BNP. The question is what the media will do, who used to be so self-righteous about “western children forced to wear the veil” and similar stories. In a more hostile atmosphere, such as that in post-Fortuyn Netherlands, they might turn to supporting child abductions which remove ‘foreign’ children.