King urges people to overcome differences in
Christmas speech
December
25, 2023
https://www.dutchnews.nl/2023/12/king-urges-people-to-overcome-differences-in-christmas-speech/
King
Willem-Alexander called on people to overcome their differences in his annual
Christmas speech to the nation.
The king
also cited the war in Israel and Gaza several times. “Where once a manger stood
and angels sang, there is conflict,” he said. “Deep wounds have been inflicted
and peace and reconciliation seem further away than ever.”
“Raising
the dykes will not protect us from this,” he said. “And the tensions there, are
being felt here as well. Many people are afraid.”
Christmas,
he said, is the perfect time to look in the mirror. People, he said, should
hold back on pushing their own self-interest and make way for others.
At the same
time, he said, contradictions are an opportunity for new solutions. But how we
deal with contradictions is all-important, he said. The king emphasised the
importance of the democratic rule of law. “There are rules that apply to
everyone. These give us something to hold on to and certainty. Discrimination
in any form is not an option.”
Making
mistakes is human and if we learn from them, we become better people,” he said.
“If we would focus our energy on finding solutions, we would achieve so much
more.”
“We should
not constantly judge each other as human beings but embracing our human nature,
and understand our doubts, worries and shortcomings.”
“There is
no other country like the Netherlands,” he said. “We make this country
together, and it is still one of the very best places in the world.”
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