Veteran populist and anti-Islamisation campaigner Geert Wilders is on track for his second major political victory in a year.
Wilders spoke in typically tough terms about this week’s European elections, saying voting left would only lead to more terrorism and crime, but voting for the Liberal Party would make the Netherlands a safer place.
Geert Wilders is going from strength to strength after a “remarkable victory” in last November’s general election, which saw his Party for Freedom (PVV) achieve “one of the biggest political upsets in Dutch politics since the Second World War” by winning 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house, making it the largest party in parliament for the first time in its history.
According to Dutch public broadcaster NOS, Wilder’s party Projected The Netherlands is expected to win the most seats in the European Parliament after this week’s election, and opinion polls predict the PVV will win at least nine of the 31 seats allocated to the Netherlands in the EU legislative body. That would mark a dramatic reversal from the last election in 2019, when Wilder’s party failed to win enough votes to send a single MEP to Strasbourg.
After decades relegated to the political sidelines in the Netherlands, Wilders’ second election victory will see him continue to work towards forming a new right-wing government in the Binnenhof and cement his position as the most powerful force in Dutch politics.
The rise of the 60-year-old populist activist and former Breitbart contributor comes amid growing public skepticism about the open-border policies that prevail in Brussels and The Hague.
PVV Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders meets with people during a campaign at The Hague Market near Hobbema Square on June 5, 2024, ahead of the European Parliament elections. The PVV won a surprise victory in the Dutch general election in November 2023 and opinion polls show it is likely to come out on top in the European Parliament elections in the Netherlands on June 6-9. (Photo by Nick Gammon/AFP) (Photo by Nick Gammon/AFP via Getty Images)
It was no surprise that the issue of mass immigration was at the centre of Wilders’ appeal to voters ahead of Thursday’s vote.
“If you want open borders and let more terrorists, knife bearers and Hamas supporters into the country, vote left. If you want fewer asylum seekers, a tough stance against terrorism, anti-Semitism and violence and make the Netherlands safer, vote PVV!” he said. I have written About X.
Wilders has been personally affected by the growing threat of terrorism in the country, having received threats on his life from Muslims for his criticism of Islam and having been under 24-hour police guard since 2004.
In the Netherlands, the most densely populated non-small EU country, Fundamental changes In immigration levels over the past 20 years.
From 2003 to 2007, net migration to the Netherlands was “negative” and exceeded the number of arrivals, but since then there has been a dramatic increase. In 2022, 403,108 foreigners moved to the Netherlands, bringing the net migration figure to 223,798. This is an increase of 150,580 on the previous year and more than four times the number in 2004.
Anti-immigration populist Geert Wilders wins most seats in Dutch elections, exit polls showhttps://t.co/U1n1EKvXPr
—Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) November 22, 2023
The influx of millions of people into this tiny country, roughly the size of the US state of Maryland, is starting to change attitudes towards mass immigration in the traditionally liberal country. release A survey conducted in April found that almost half of Dutch people want border controls with other EU countries to be reintroduced and end so-called “free movement of people”.
The survey also found that attitudes toward asylum seekers have become more negative since Wilders’ victory in November. Only 39 percent of respondents now believe the country has a moral obligation to accept refugees, compared with nearly half just a few months ago. Many voters surveyed expressed concern about “fake refugees” coming to the country under the guise of “making money.”
Meanwhile, another investigation A survey conducted in March found that 70% of Dutch people ranked tackling illegal immigration as their top priority, the highest of any EU member state surveyed.
This correlates with a surge in support for populist parties that promise to reduce the number of foreigners entering the country, as in other European countries experiencing mass migration. Wilders, for example, has vowed to introduce “the strictest refugee admissions system ever and the most comprehensive package for migration management” if he takes power, with negotiations with his coalition partners expected to finally conclude later this month.
Dutch populist Geert Wilders to impose ‘toughest immigration regime in history’ https://t.co/2hsjri3f3x
—Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 18, 2024
