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The law turns churches into a kerkasiel (church asylum) and becomes a place of refuge to people within the church as long as the service is ongoing.

It was first used in the 1970s to protect 182 Moroccans who were threatened with deportation. The kerkasiel action at that time included three churches based in Amsterdam, Utrecht, and The Hague.

Three years and several hunger strikes later, the 182 Moroccans were granted the right to stay in the Netherlands.