- Geert Wilders has built a political career out of Islamophobia.
- The PVV’s victory has sent shockwaves through The Netherlands and Europe.
On the 22nd of November, Geert Wilders (dubbed the Dutch Trump) and his party, the Party for Freedom (PVV) did what no one would have expected. They won the 2023 Dutch elections. Mr Wilders and the PVV’s surprising performance won them a total of 37 seats, 12 more than the left-wing alliance led by Frans Timmerman who finished in a distant 2nd place.
76 seats are needed to form a government in Holland’s House of Representatives and thus far leaders from other parties have been highly reluctant to join Mr Wilders in a coalition.
Geert Wilders broke away from mainstream Dutch politics in 2004 and created the PVV. Since then, him and his party have taken it up to themselves to campaign against what they argue is the “Islamisation of the Netherlands”.
Many pundits and analysts consider him to be a staunch Islamophobe. For instance, he has called for a complete ban on immigration from Muslim majority countries, proposed a one-thousand-euro annual tax on headscarves (head rags as he calls them), and argued for banning the construction of new mosques. Most controversially he has compared the Quran to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and stated his support for banning the Quran in the country.
Nonetheless, an unabashed and unashamed Mr Wilders has vowed to be Prime Minister of the Netherlands stating that he is willing to compromise with other candidates.
Additionally, being a fervent Zionist, earlier today Mr Wilders took to X and tweeted his support for Palestinians relocating to Jordan, saying that “Jordan is Palestine”. Arab states have condemned his remarks.
Usually known as a moderate country, The Netherlands like the rest of Europe has been rocked a wave of high inflation and economic insecurity. Previous Dutch PM Mark Rutte stepped down from his role following a coalition disagreement over immigration policy.
Yet the election of Mr Wilders has made the future even more uncertain in the minds of most of Holland’s population, especially the country’s Muslim minority.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Mr Wilders has stated that he “has become a more positive person”. But whether his newfound cordial personality is just a ruse to secure a coalition deal to take power is very much an open question.
