European Politics > Wilders to form Dutch government coalition, but won't be PM

 

Netherlands: Geert Wilders agrees to deal

to form coalition Dutch government

MAY 16, 2024 12:30 PM BY CHRISTINE DOUGLASS-WILLIAMS

After months of difficult negotiations, Geert Wilders has finally agreed to a deal

to form a coalition government, minus himself as prime minister

by Senay Boztas, Guardian, May 15, 2024:

The Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders has agreed the basis of his first rightwing coalition government in the Netherlands.

Six months after his shock win of a quarter of parliamentary seats, his anti-Islam, anti-immigration Party for Freedom (PVV) will take the lead in an uneasy four-party coalition.

In an agreement that needs to be formally voted through by the individual parliamentary parties on Wednesday evening, he will form a government with the centre-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the New Social Contract party (NSC) and the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB).

However, the 60-year-old will not become the next Dutch prime minister, in an unconventional and experimental “business government” arrangement. “The good news is that we have a negotiators’ agreement, but of course, this is only definitive when the parliamentary parties have also agreed,” Wilders told the Dutch press late in the afternoon.

Politicians refused to say who was in the running to be the next Dutch prime minister. Wilders said: “We have spoken about the prime minister today and we will come back to that discussion at a later moment.”…

It is highly unorthodox that the Dutch leader would not become prime minister after such an election victory for his party. The sticking point has been Wilders’ consistent stance that the Islam is not compatible with free societies. He is right. Sharia law does not align with the values of free societies; also, Wilders has vehemently opposed open-door immigration policies, as any responsible leader should do.

In light of the truth about Islam historically and at present, Wilders’ views are tough to oppose on a rational basis, that is, beyond labels, smears and name-calling. The pro-Hamas protests now plaguing Western societies are causing many to pause and think. But slamming Wilders is more about political correctness and the fear of enraging Muslims. African Christians know all too well, as do Middle Eastern Christians, Yazidis and other minorities, what Islamic conquest entails.

The West is now challenged with growing numbers of Muslims, as we see the activities of pro-Hamas activists and their supporters.

Unlike most politicians, Wilders has shown the Netherlands that he is genuinely interested in serving the interests of the people, and is determined to protect his country’s security, even at risk to his own personal safety and political aspirations.

When Wilders’s Freedom Party (PVV) won a surprise election victory in November, Reuters reported:

After 25 years in Dutch politics without holding office, Wilders was set to lead coalition government talks and has a good chance of becoming prime minister.

It was obvious, however, that talks would be tough. As they went on, Wilders also withdrew his own 2018 proposal to ban mosques and the Qur’an, in efforts to become more acceptable to possible coalition partners; yet as Robert Spencer has pointed out, “It is not necessary to ban mosques and the Qur’an in order to stop the advance of the jihad in a country; one must simply monitor those mosques and have no tolerance for those who would plot jihad violence or work to overthrow the secular state.”

But in February, coalition talks collapsed after Pieter Omtzigt, founder and leader of the center-right New Social Contract, walked out of negotiations. Many media pundits proclaimed that Wilders likely would not be able to form a coalition, thus leaving his coalition hopes and leadership chances in limbo.

The Guardian slammed Wilders amid the breakdown in talks, and included other factors aside from the issue of Islam as reasons for the collapse of negotiations:

Besides Wilders’s unconstitutional anti-Islam proposals, the far-right provocateur’s pledges included ending the free movement of EU workers, increasing drilling for oil and gas, putting 14-year-olds before adult criminal courts, and halting military aid to Ukraine.

But the fear of backlash from Muslims with Wilders at the helm was likely the biggest reason for Omtzigt’s sudden departure and refusal to continue the talks, since coalition governments are not new to disagreement among members on a range of issues, especially economics. But amid those disagreements, coalition partners generally don’t just walk out. The topic of Islam, however, is different. It has defined Wilders’ career. He has called for the recognition that “Islam is a violent ideology.” Let’s not forget in that connection that a UK government Minister, Mike Freer, abruptly quit due to Muslim death threats, and stated: “By the skin of my teeth I avoided being murdered.” Of course, his quitting puts Omtzigt’s in a different light.

Wilders responded to the breakdown in negotiations by stating: “The Netherlands wants this cabinet and now Pieter Omtzigt is throwing in the towel while we were still in discussions until today. I don’t understand it at all.”

Someone is pulling his strings. I wonder who?

Wilders has finally made substantial progress, not without some losses. The biggest threat facing the West now is the rising jihad threat, which has become much more aggressive since October 7. As a result, more citizens, leaders and media are awakening to varying degrees. This awakening may well relate to the news of a Dutch coalition government to include Wilders. Although he won’t be prime minister, it is to be celebrated that Wilders is still in the mix of a likely new coalition.

He will still be the leader of the biggest party in Parliament, and will probably take a ministerial position. So, he will still have significant influence. Consequently, there is hope the Netherlands will survive Islamization although it may get a little rough for awhile.

European Politics > Will British Tories desert Sunak for Nigel Farage? Geert Wilders can't be PM of the Netherlands though he won the election

 

Rishi Sunak is warned that MORE Tories are poised to switch to Reform UK after Lee Anderson drops bombshell becoming party’s first MP – as poll shows Nigel Farage’s outfit at their highest-ever support… with one-fifth of 2019 Conservative voters backing them

by James Tapsfield, Daily Mail, March 11, 2024:

Rishi Sunak faced warnings today that more Tories are gearing up to switch to Reform UK after Lee Anderson became the insurgents’ first MP.

The PM has been left yet again struggling to quell panic in his ranks after the former Conservative deputy chair was unveiled by jubilant Reform leader Richard Tice at a press conference this morning.

Swiping at his former colleagues, Mr Anderson said he ‘wants our country back’ and had to be able to ‘speak my mind’.

The Ashfield MP said there had been a ‘lot of soul searching in my political journey’ but his parents and his staff had all told him to switch to Reform. 

The news immediately fuelled Conservative panic about the threat of an implosion at the election.

The latest Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey, published this afternoon, showed Reform UK at their highest-ever level with the pollster at 14 per cent support.

This put them just 10 percentage points behind the Tories (24 per cent), with Labour holding an 18-point lead over the Conservatives on 42 per cent…..

At the very  least, Reform will prevent Sunak from forming the next government.  

=========================================================================================

Dutch far-right firebrand Wilders says he won't

be prime minister despite election win

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders said Wednesday that he would not be prime minister despite his stunning election win in November, due to a lack of support across the political spectrum.

Issued on: 14/03/2024 - 01:18  2 min

By:NEWS WIRES

Video by:Carys GARLANDFollow

"I can only become Prime Minister if ALL parties in the coalition support it. That was not the case," Wilders said on X. "The love for my country and voters is bigger and more important than my own position."

The announcement came on the eve of an eagerly awaited report on Dutch coalition talks, amid speculation of a breakthrough that could result in a technocratic government.

The man overseeing the negotiations, Kim Putters, has said the bickering parties were ready to take the "next step" after two days of "good and intense" talks at a country estate.

Wilders posted on X that he wanted a "right-wing cabinet... less asylum and immigration. The Dutch come first."

Party leaders have been tight-lipped during the process but public broadcaster NOS reported that the most likely outcome for Thursday's report was an "extra-parliamentary" or technocratic cabinet. It is unclear exactly what form this could take, but it is expected that four party leaders will serve as MPs.

Parties would appoint the members of the cabinet but they could be drawn from "ordinary" party members or even from outside politics, according to media reports.

Wilders stunned the Netherlands and Europe with a convincing victory in November elections that put him in pole position to lead coalition negotiations.

Unlike Britain, France or the United States for example, the Netherlands has a very fractured political system that means no party is strong enough to govern on its own.

The far-right leader's Freedom Party (PVV) therefore started talks with the centre-right Liberal VVD party, the BBB farmers' party, and a new party, the New Social Contract (NSC).

The NSC, led by anti-corruption champion Pieter Omtzigt, was the other new factor in the election, gaining 20 seats and making it indispensable in any coalition.

Nexit referendum?

But cracks began to show in the talks almost immediately, with sniping on social media and by the NSC in particular raising questions about the PVV's far-right manifesto.

Among other things, the PVV manifesto calls for a ban on mosques, the Koran and Islamic headscarves. It also wants a binding referendum on a "Nexit" – the Netherlands leaving the European Union.

In February, Omtzigt abruptly quit the coalition talks, plunging the process into chaos with the differences between his party and the PVV "too big" to bridge.

At the time, the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper described the talks as a "slow-motion disaster" with "poison, mutual sniping, gossiping".

A new person, known in the Netherlands as an "informer", was appointed to oversee the talks and this appears to have unblocked the stalemate.

The new informer, Putters, managed to get the four party leaders back to the negotiating table with talks reportedly moving towards a technocratic government.

Time is ticking for the Netherlands to find a prime minister, as the man holding the fort, Mark Rutte, is widely expected to become the new NATO secretary general.

Since the election, support for the PVV has only increased, surveys suggest, as voters voice frustration at the slow pace of talks.

"Do not forget: I will become prime minister of the Netherlands one day. With the support of even more Dutch," Wilders posted. "If not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow. Because the voices of millions of Dutch will be heard!"

(AFP)

Islam - Europe > Attempted Honour Killing in Germany; Cricketer who issued Fatwa on Geert Wilders sentenced in absentia

..

Honor of the daughter injured? Father and son stab Syrian

Translated from “Ehre der Tochter verletzt? Vater und Sohn stechen Syrer (27) nieder

by Mirko Voltmer, Bild, September 7, 2023 

Hanover/Mainz – Three days after the knife attack on a Syrian (27), the motif of the two alleged perpetrators is obviously clear.

Revenge for the daughter’s injured honor!

Two compatriots of the victim have been in custody since Tuesday: they are father (68) and son (27). Against the duo from Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate) is determined for attempted manslaughter.

At the beginning of the week, both of them had been opened in the Stöcken district at noon, according to the KRIPO findings. Apparently they ambushed the 27-year-old near his residential address on Ithstrasse.

Armed with knives, they rushed towards the man and stabbed him on the street. Then they fled in a car. With life-threatening wounds in the upper body, among other things, the injured person was brought to a clinic.

Investigators arrested father and son in the Rhineland-Palatinate capital. Alleged background for their act: shortly before, the 27-year-old is said to have separated from the daughter or sister of the accused.

Both are now to be moved to a detention center in Hanover.

Netherlands sentences Muslim to prison for calling for Wilders’ murder,

but has no extradition treaty with Pakistan

SEP 12, 2023 1:00 PM BY ROBERT SPENCER

A purely symbolic move, and one that is against the spirit of the age. Denmark has already folded and submitted to Sharia blasphemy law. Sweden will soon follow. The turn of the Netherlands will come in due time.

==========================

Twelve years in prison for attempting to provoke the murder of Geert Wilders

Translated from “Twaalf jaar cel voor poging uitlokken moord Geert Wilders,” 

De Telegraaf, September 11, 2023:

SCHIPHOL – Khalid Latif, a Pakistani former cricketer, has been sentenced to twelve years in prison for offering the equivalent of 21,000 euros for the murder of Geert Wilders. He did this from Pakistan in 2018 via a video on the internet, in response to a cartoon competition about the Prophet Mohammed devised by the Member of Parliament.

The court of The Hague, which sat in the extra-secure court at Schiphol, called it “far from inconceivable that someone would feel called to respond to the call.” The sentence corresponds to the prosecutor’s demand at the end of last month.

At the time the video was released, there were protests in Pakistan against the cartoon contest. The court states that the man “added fuel to the fire” with the video. It is also noted that the former cricketer enjoyed “a certain international fame.” The Public Prosecution Service previously mentioned that his call had a wide reach.

No extradition treaty

The Netherlands does not have an extradition treaty with Pakistan, which means that Latif will not be extradited to the Netherlands. Latif did not come to the hearing for the hearing of his case, nor did a lawyer. Wilders was present at both the hearing of the case and the ruling. In response to the verdict, he says that he is “very happy,” but that he will only be really happy when Latif ends up behind bars.

In a statement at the end of last month, he spoke extensively in court about the impact of the death threats he receives. “I don’t need pity, but I do want you to understand what this means for me and my family. Because of all those fatwas, I have been living under heavy security for nineteen years. It started in 2004 with the then Hofstad Group. I’ve never been home since. I have lived in a prison, a barracks, a police station. And to this day, my wife and I live in a safe house.”…

'Insults' to Islam were Motivation for Afghan Man's Attack on 2 Americans in Amsterdam - Prosecutors

Security officials stand guard following the attack at Amsterdam Centraal station on August 31, 2018.

© Germain Moyon / AFP

The man who stabbed two American tourists at Amsterdam's busy Central railway station says he was motivated by insults to Islam in the Netherlands and that he chose his victims at random, according to prosecutors.

The 19-year-old Afghan national, identified as Jawed S., said he traveled to Amsterdam from Germany – where he has residency – to carry out the attack, citing what he believes to be repeated insults against Allah, the Koran, and Islam's Prophet Mohammad in the Netherlands, the Public Prosecution Service wrote in a statement. 

The attacker specifically mentioned the name of the anti-Islamist Dutch politician Geert Wilders. However, he declined to mention the Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest that Wilders had planned on holding but recently canceled due to security concerns. Drawing the Prophet Mohammed is considered blasphemous in the Muslim faith.

And devout Muslims don't understand that what happens outside the faith is none of their concern. A Muslim drawing Mohammed should be a serious moral lapse; but a non-Muslim drawing Mohammed should not concern Muslims at all. 

The man also said that he chose his two victims at random at the train station on Friday. He added that he did not know they were American tourists when he picked them. Both victims are still in hospital but are expected to recover.

His point was, obviously, to make a statement. However, by choosing Americans, his statement is one of complete incompetence and stupidity.

The attack took place at Amsterdam's Central railway station on Friday, with police shooting and arresting the attacker after it occurred. Multiple devices belonging to Jawed S. have been seized and are under investigation. A search has also been carried out at the suspect's home in Germany, at the request of Dutch authorities.

Meanwhile, the suspect is still in hospital where he is being treated for his injuries. He will also be "examined psychologically and psychiatrically," the Public Prosecution Service wrote in its statement.

Radical Muslims are all insane, but that should not be an excuse to keep him from being segregated from normal people. In my opinion, all radical Muslims should be locked up until they reach some level of sanity.

Islamic Face Veils Banned in Public Buildings by Dutch Parliament

Islamization Backlash - Partial Burqa Ban in Netherlands

© Toussaint Kluiters / Reuters

The Upper House of the Dutch parliament has passed a law banning Islamic face veils and other face-covering garments in public places such as schools, hospitals and government buildings.

But not mosques, I presume?

Lawmakers cited security reasons when they introduced the legislation which outlaws all face-covering garb in public buildings but not on the street. Motorcycle helmets and ski-masks are included in the ban and people who break the new law face a fine of up to €410 ($430).

The bill was approved by the Lower House in 2016, following the failure of efforts to impose a more general ban on burqas and other face-covering veils. The Dutch government’s main advising body in 2015 said the choice to wear an Islamic veil is protected by the constitutional right to freedom of religion, and that it saw no ground to limit that right.

Staunch anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders welcomed the passing of the new law on Twitter, tweeting a screengrab of an article about the issue along with the message: “Adopted!”  

Wilders has long campaigned for a ban on face veils, originally tabling a motion seeking to have them outlawed more than 10 years ago.

The Dutch government describes the new law as “religion-neutral” and it does not extend as far as more comprehensive bans in neighboring France and Belgium.

France introduced a ban on Muslim women wearing full-face veils in public in 2011. Belgium followed suit and introduced a similar ban later that year.

Both countries were taken to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over their laws. The court upheld France’s burqa ban in 2014 and it also ruled in favor of Belgian authorities in 2017, saying that their law “doesn’t violate European human rights law.”

Dutch Head to Polls Amid Tense Immigration Policy Debate

Do they even know what Rutte did? 

© Cris Toala Olivares / Reuters

Up to 13 million Dutch voters are expected to head to the polls on Wednesday to elect 150 members of the lower house of parliament in a symbolic Euroscepticism showdown that seems to have split society along the immigration policy divide.

Some 28 parties are competing in the election which is largely viewed as a face-off between ultranationalist Geert Wilders and the current Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Under the proportional representation system, any party who receives more than 0.67 percent of the vote, will pass the mandated threshold and get at least one seat. 

Following the latest round of televised debates on Tuesday night in which representatives of 13 parties competed, Prime Minister Rutte’s People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) is leading Wilder’s Party for Freedom (PVV) by a small margin.

The Dutch Peilingwijzer website which tracks down six polling outlets says that VVD will likely gain between 24-28 seats, versus 19-22 that will most likely go to PVV. The Christian Democratic Appeal Party (CDA) and its leader Sybrand Buma are predicted to gain between 19-21 seats. 

At least four other parties are likely to gain more than 10 seats. These include the centrist D66, Green-Left, the Socialist Party and the social democrat Labour Party (PvdA). Whichever party can secure the majority 76 seats in parliament, either on its own or through a coalition, will form the new Dutch government and choose the Prime Minister.

Merkel and Rutte make a secret deal with Turkey promising to take in hundreds of thousands of migrants even if the rest of the EU refuses. Turkey gets to pick the refugees going into Europe and are sending the sick and uneducated while keeping the educated and healthy in Turkey.

Do the Dutch actually know this?

Rutte who took on Wilders in a heated debate on Monday night has made it clear that his party will not work with the PVV leader.

“Not even in a tolerance structure – no, never, no,” Rutte said, dismissing the possibility of forming a coalition with Wilders.

Rutte is urging voters to back him so that he continue his political course and focus on preserving the Dutch economic recovery and its place in the European Union.

Wilders remains hopeful that he will be able to persuade voters to side with the global anti-establishment trend reinvigorated by the Brexit referendum and the victory of Donald Trump in the US.

Wilders has said that Netherlands’ exit from the European Union would be “the best thing that could happen to us”.

Rutte instead argued that the so-called Nexit would cost 1.5 million jobs and create “chaos”.

Wilders, on the other hand, told the voters that after a Nexit, the Dutch would become the “master of our own country again”.

As part of his controversial agenda, the 53-year old Wilders wants to close Islamic schools and asylum centers. In addition, Wilders wants to shut down borders with a blanket ban on migrants from Muslim countries. The ultra-conservative also wants the Koran to be banned in the Netherlands.

During the final debate, Wilders engaged in an intense face-off with PvdA party leader Lodewijk Asscher over the issue of immigration.

The issue and debate around foreigners in the Netherlands has heightened in recent days following the diplomatic row and weekend rioting over the barring of the Turkish family minister from entering the Turkish Consulate in Rotterdam.

“If you want to tackle crime you should deport those foreigners who rape, commit a crime and laugh at our police,” Wilders said. “The Netherlands is not for everyone, the Netherlands is for the Dutch.” 

Some of Wilder's supporters told RT ahead of the election that the Party for Freedom is shaping the new political agenda for the Netherlands.

“Wilders is a person who notices the frustration, what is brewing and annoying people and he expresses it. Other parties are now listening as well,” Wim Keizer a local politician in Volendam told RT.

While the PVV's support is strong, Wilders is unlikely to be able to form the next government even if he wins the popular vote, as all mainstream parties have ruled out working with him.

Rest assured, Holland, your government will continue to ensure that the Netherlands completes its exercise in cultural suicide! How can so many be so blind?

Wilders Convicted of Hate Speech in Netherlands - No Penalty

Far-right Wilders convicted in hate speech case, says 'half of Netherlands' convicted with him

FILE PHOTO: Dutch far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders © Laszlo Balogh / Reuters

Far-right politician Geert Wilders has been convicted of discrimination and inciting hatred by a Dutch court. However, he received no penalty or punishment for his conviction.

The politician was charged regarding a 2014 incident in which he urged his supporters to chant they wanted “Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!” Moroccans in the Netherlands. The Dutch Moroccan minority was outraged and pressed charges.

The court said it has “legally and convincingly proven” that Wilders insulted Moroccans as a group, as cited by the EU Observer.

Wilders denied any wrongdoing, saying the comments he made, which also included referring to Moroccans as “scum,” are protected as free speech.

Commenting on the verdict, Judge Hendrik Steenhuis said the court decided not to impose a sentence on Wilders, as the conviction was punishment enough for a democratically-elected lawmaker.

The politician is now planning to appeal his conviction, RTL Nieuws reported. He has two weeks to do so.

Wilders is a Dutch anti-EU politician, who made a name for himself as an outspoken orator, often provoking outrage with his remarks.

He repeatedly said his trial is a politically-motivated attempt to damage the image of the Dutch Party for Freedom (PPV), which is headed by Wilders and which has become the most popular party in opinion polls recently, with an election in the Netherlands just around the corner.

In a tweet following the announcement of the court’s decision, Wilders said his conviction was “madness,” and called the judges “haters” of his far-right party.

In a videotaped response to the verdict later on Friday, Wilders also said his conviction was an attempt to silence him before the national election in March.

“I will never be silenced,” he stressed, as cited by Reuters, slamming the ruling as an attempt to “neutralize the leader (himself) of the largest and most popular opposition party in the Netherlands.”

Dutch Parliament Approves Partial Ban on Full-Face Veils

Invisible women not allowed in many places in

Netherlands after new law passed

    © AFP PHOTO / ANP PHOTO / Filer Jerry Lampen | A woman wearing a burqa walks in The Hague 

by NEWS WIRES

The Dutch parliament voted on Tuesday to ban face veils in some public places, a law the government said was essential for security but which opponents said pandered to anti-Muslim sentiment.

The law, passed by the lower house but still requiring the senate's approval, bans veils and other items that hide the face such as ski masks and helmets, in places where identifying the wearer is considered essential, including government buildings, public transport, schools and hospitals.

Few women in the Netherlands wear face veils, but a ban has long been a demand of Geert Wilders' anti-Islam opposition Freedom Party which is leading in polls ahead of elections in March.

Full and partial face veils such as burqas and niqabs divide opinion in Europe, setting religious freedom advocates against secularists and those who say that the garments are culturally alien or a symbol of the oppression of women.

France and Belgium have completely banned wearing face veils in public and some other European countries have local or regional restrictions. Violating the Dutch law would incur a fine of 405 euros ($430).

"Everyone has the right to dress as he or she wishes," the government said in a statement announcing the law.

"That freedom is limited only where it is essential for people to see each other, for example to ensure good service or security."

Opponents of the law have accused center-right Prime Minister Mark Rutte of pandering to the anti-Muslim vote in a bid not to be outflanked by Wilders.

Long seen as one of Europe's most tolerant countries, the Netherlands has seen racial tensions mount since the turn of the century, with the 2006 murder of controversial film-maker Theo van Gogh by an Islamist militant widely considered a turning point.

(REUTERS)

Dutch Far-Right Party for Freedom Tops Polls as Europe’s ‘Populists’ Gain Momentum

    Dutch far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders © Laszlo Balogh / Reuters

The far-right Dutch anti-immigration Party for Freedom, led by Geert Wilders, would become the largest party in the parliament and beat the prime minister’s ruling conservative liberals if elections were held today, according to a new poll data.

The Wilders’ Party for Freedom (PVV) would win 33 seats in the 150-seat lower chamber of the Dutch parliament if elections were held today, according to Maurice de Hond, the Netherlands’ most reputed pollster.

In that case, Wilders would become the Netherlands’ next prime minister as chairman of the biggest parliamentary party, according to the PJ Media news outlet. Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s People's Party for Freedom and Democracy would finish second, securing 25 seats.

The far-right party has 15 seats in the current parliament, having gained about 10 percent of the vote at the 2012 general election. The next election will take place in March 2017, leaving many to believe Wilders will triumph amid growing frustration with the Netherlands’ center-right coalition.

Notably, electoral support for the PVV has not changed dramatically over the past few months. In August, Maurice de Hond predicted the party would have the same 33 seats, down from the February prediction of 42 seats, according to Dutch News. Despite trailing in polls at that time, Wilders’ party remained the country’s biggest with 22 percent of voters backing it.

The PVV appears to be gaining ground despite the ongoing court trial against Wilders, who was charged with inciting hatred and discrimination against the Dutch Moroccan community.

The charges were brought after the controversial far-right leader led a chant for fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands at a rally last year. State prosecutors insist Wilders engaged in hate speech when he asked supporters if they wanted “fewer or more Moroccans” in the Netherlands. After supporters chanted back “fewer,” he replied: “We'll take care of it.”

In a televised statement on the last day of the trial, Wilders denied inciting racial hatred and added that if he was convicted, “millions of Dutch citizens will be convicted with me.”

Wilders described his party as part of a growing anti-establishment right-wing movement that encouraged the Britons to vote for Brexit and American white blue-collar voters to support Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential election.

Some of his previous statements appeared to be quite inflammatory, and critics argue that his one-page electoral program he made public in August contains unrealistic promises. Titled, ‘The Netherlands is ours again’, Wilders’ manifesto called for the closure of all mosques and Islamic schools, a ban on the Koran, and “no more immigrants from Islamic countries.”

Wilders’ surge in popularity comes amid reports on European far-right gaining momentum throughout the past year. In France, pollsters say there could be the possibility that Marine Le Pen, the outspoken leader of the National Front, could be elected president next year. However, her center-right adversary, ‘Thatcherite’ Francois Fillon, who recently won the Republican nomination, will be a near-peer opponent.

In Austria, Norbert Hofer of the right-wing anti-Muslim party FPO could be elected president on December 4, an event that would send shockwaves across Europe and boost like-minded parties in the continent. The latest poll by Statista.de gives Hofer 49 percent of the vote, compared to 51 percent given to his sole opponent, Alexander van der Bellen of the Green Party.

Le Pen claims that what Europeans are desperate for the ‘Trump effect’, that is, the mistrust of established political elites and fear of mass immigration. Critics say the far-right are exploiting a populist agenda and capitalizing on primitive sentiments.

Speaking to RT on Tuesday, Ami Horowitz, a US political commentator, said Trump, Le Pen or Wilders are “certainly not a majority,” but “they are driven by certain trends similar both in the United States and Europe … the fact that mainstream politics and mainstream media are simply not trying to find answers to the demands that people across the world have today.” 

“And people are sick and tired of not being represented by the mainstream politics, and I think that people simply want solutions to the vexing problems we have in the world today, whether it be economic stagnation or spectacular immigration problems.”