Former number two BIJ1 Quinsy Gario cancels membership

Quinsy Gario, the former number two of the BIJ1 electoral list, has officially canceled his membership of the party. That has he announced on Sunday and is confirmed by a spokesperson for the party. Gario was suspended as a member in July because, according to the board, he had created an unsafe working atmosphere. BIJ1 would vote on his future with the party on Sunday afternoon.

Gario filed an appeal against the suspension after his suspension. BIJ1 held a members’ meeting via video link on Sunday between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., where the profession would be discussed, among other things. Even before a vote came to a vote, Gario tweeted at about 5 p.m.: “2 and a half hour delay due to technical problems. You know what, I don’t need it anymore. I am no longer a member.”

The BIJ1 spokesperson says that the video connection indeed suffered from technical defects, as a result of which Gario was unable to participate in the meeting for a while. When the former number two was present in the meeting, he would not have been audible afterwards. “Whether he indeed had to wait two and a half hours, I dare not say,” said the spokesman. “But we have tried to communicate with him.”

Sixteen complaints

The party board has already been officially informed of Gario’s departure, the spokesman said. He says he has not received any signals from party members who follow Gario and also cancel their membership. “The board is trying to handle the situation as best as possible. We trust our members to understand that.”

In July it was announced that the national board of the party wanted to expel Gario as a member. Sixteen people had filed complaints about him, which were subsequently investigated by a law firm. According to the office, the charges involved “enthusiasm, manipulative, incitement, disrespect, create peer pressure, embarrassment, running away, not being open to conversation, ignoring joint decisions and more.”

The issue sparked quarrels within the party. Gario was much loved among members, he was seen by many as an important voice in the anti-racism movement. The former number two stated that he wanted to tackle “bullying behavior” and bad governance within the party. Party leader Sylvana Simons sided with those who had complained in this battle. “You cannot ask me to address Rutte about his misconduct, but ask me not to do that to Quinsy Gario.”