Tunahan Kuzu
Tunahan Kuzu (born 5 June 1981) is a Turkish-born Dutch politician. He is a former member of the Labour Party (PvdA). He has been an MP since 20 September 2012. On 13 November 2014 Kuzu and Selçuk Öztürk left the Labour Party and formed the Group Kuzu/Öztürk, later renamed Denk ("Think").[1] On 18 November 2014, he became Parliamentary group leader. In the 2017 Dutch general election, the party secured three seats in the House of Representatives.
Tünahan Küzü | |
|---|---|
 Tunahan Kuzu in 2011 | |
| Leader of Denk | |
| Assumed office 9 February 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 20 September 2012 | |
| Member of the municipal council of Rotterdam | |
| In office 22 May 2008 – 27 September 2012 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 June 1981 Istanbul, Turkey |
| Political party | Labour Party (2012–2014) Independent (2014–2015) Denk (2015–present) |
| Residence | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Alma mater | Erasmus University Rotterdam |
Kuzu grew up in Maassluis and studied public administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam. He worked as a health care advisor for PricewaterhouseCoopers, and was also a member of the municipal council of Rotterdam from 2008 to 2012.
Kuzu attracted international attention in September 2016 when he refused to shake the hand of Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu before a meeting at the States General of the Netherlands. In a statement posted to Facebook Kuzu explained his action as a protest against human rights abuses committed against Palestinian civilians in the Palestinian territories.[2][3]
References
- (in Dutch) Parlement.com biography
- Two Turkish deputies expelled from Dutch labor party; Today's Zaman; 14 November 2014
- Mackey, Robert (7 September 2016). "Anti-Racist Dutch MP Refuses to Shake Netanyahu's Hand". The Intercept. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
- Sims, Alexandra (14 September 2016). "Dutch MP refuses to shake hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
