Islamophobe Greet Wilders, the new Dutch PM?
By Asad
Mirza, New Age Islam
27
November 2023
Last
week’s elections in Netherlands threw up a rather surprising victory i.e. Greet
Wilders, a known rightist and Islamophobe. Perhaps his victory marks the
continuing trend of right-wing politicians coming to power in Europe,
particularly during the last two years, on the basis of appealing to the masses
on populist slogans but offering nothing concrete.
Last
week, veteran Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders vowed to be prime
minister of the Netherlands eventually, following an election in which his
party won the most seats. Wilders vowed on X, “I will be prime minister.”
In a
long post on X, he expressed frustration at other parties for their apparent
unwillingness to cooperate with his Freedom Party (PVV), Wilders said he would
"continue to moderate" his positions if necessary, to gain power.
Although
Wilders' party finished well ahead of rivals in the November 22 vote on an
anti-immigration platform, his party won only 37 seats in the Dutch parliament.
That means he will have to cooperate with at least two more moderate parties in
order to form a government.
Earlier,
the conservative VVD Party, of caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte, which
shares many of Wilders' views on immigration, said it would not participate in
a cabinet with him. However, the VVD's new leader, Dilan Yesilgoz, did not rule
out offering outside support to a Wilders-led government.
Pieter
Omtzigt, who leads the centrist reform NSC Party and is also seen as a likely
partner in a Wilders' government, has said cooperation will be difficult due to
extreme positions Wilders has voiced that appear to violate Dutch
constitutional protections on freedom of religion.
Wilders’
stand on Islam
Geert
Wilders is known for his radical anti-immigration and Islamophobic politics and
his staunch Euro-scepticism.
In
2007, Wilders sent a letter to the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant calling the
Qur’an a “fascist book” just like Mein Kampf. The newspaper put the letter on
the front page but in an editorial suggested that the PVV leader had gone too
far with the comparison, which was deeply hurtful and offensive to many. This
letter and other comments led to Wilders being prosecuted for inciting hatred
and discrimination. He denied any wrongdoing. In 2011, he was acquitted and his
comments were ruled acceptable within the context of public debate.
In a
2008 interview with the Observer, Wilders said that Islam is not a religion;
it’s an ideology, the ideology of a retarded culture. The interview coincided
with him creating a short film entitled Fitna, an Arabic word meaning “strife”.
In the film he again criticises the Holy Qur’an as a “fascist book” and
intersperses images of the September 11 attacks with quotations from the
Islamic holy book. It was screened on the internet and sparked violent protests
in the Muslim world. In February 2009, Wilders was refused entry to Britain to
screen the film on the grounds of it being a threat to public order. Wilders,
who denied any wrongdoing, appealed, and a court later said the decision was
wrong. The Dutch public prosecutor stated that statements made in it were
“hurtful and offensive to a large number of Muslims” but not punishable by law.
The episode subsequently became part of the 2011 case.
Wilders
coined the word “Head Rag” to describe the headscarves worn by Muslim women. In
the Netherlands’ annual political debates in September 2009, Wilders suggested
an annual tax of €1,000 on headscarves, provoking a scandalised reaction. His
position on headscarves, and talks on Turkish accession to Europe, had led him
to break with the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and set up the
PVV, or “Party for Freedom”, in 2005.
On
immigration, Wilders stands for decreasing and clubs it with Moroccans, whom he
describes as “scum” migrating to Netherlands and delivered a speech at The
Hague in 2014 condemning migration. In a lengthy prosecution, which he claimed
was politically motivated; this speech was eventually ruled as unlawful
discrimination in terms of insulting a group. It resulted in a criminal record
for Wilders but he was acquitted of inciting discrimination and given no other
penalty.
From
calling Moroccans "scum”, to holding competitions for cartoons of the
Prophet Mohammed, Wilders has built a career based on his self-appointed
mission to stop an "Islamic invasion" of the West.
Wilders
also condemns the Dutch democracy and has stated that there is an enormous gap
between this fake Dutch parliament and the common people at large. Talking in
the 2015 budget debates, Wilders argued for a closure of the borders and
questioned Dutch democracy because MPs did not agree with him. He also wants
The Netherlands to leave the EU, just like the UK.
Moreover,
Wilders pledges to close the Dutch representation in Ramallah, home to the
"corrupt Palestinian Authority." He also describes Israel as the only
true democracy in the Middle East and has stated that once in power he’ll
ensure Dutch relations with Israel are strengthened and will move the Dutch
embassy to Jerusalem.
Dutch
politics
The
Netherlands is known for low corruption, press freedom and moderation, but for
the past two decades, it has witnessed rising support for far-right parties.
Prof Tom Louwerse of Leiden University’s Institute of Political Science told
The Guardian that the Dutch far-right has polled on average 15% to 20% votes in
the past decade. Prof Matthijs Rooduijn of Amsterdam University told a Dutch
news website localnews.com that he sees the election as a “breeding ground for
right-wing populism”.
Although
Wilders is extremely right-wing on immigration, he has populist policies on
healthcare, pensions, the minimum wage and social housing. “The electorate of
the PVV in general consists of people who experience more difficulties,” said
Rooduijn. “They feel they are being neglected. They have tough lives, economically
but also culturally. And that is one of the reasons they vote for a party that
promises radical change.”
But
will this radical change happen? Wilders has won the most seats and has been
invited to try to form a coalition. However, the Dutch representative democracy
and the process of electing a coalition PM is very complicated. And it could
take months for him to be chosen as the prime minister.
Overall,
the Dutch elections may serve as an indication of the increasing right-wing
sentiments in Western Europe. The far-right has grown throughout much of Europe
in the past decade. Giorgia Meloni of Brothers of Italy rode to power last
year, the National Rally led by Marine Le Pen came second in the 2022 French
presidential election polls, and the Alternative for Germany party is currently
polling second.
…
(Asad
Mirza is a Delhi-based senior political and international affairs commentator.)
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