Dutch voters did NOT reject Geert Wilders | Doorbraak.eu

This is ridiculous. Avaaz is circulating a petition to thank the “Dutch people” (whoever that may be) for “choosing hope, unity, and dialogue over hate, fear and old fascist rhetoric”. They even claim that, “by rejecting Geert Wilders you’ve helped stop the rise of the far right everywhere”. More generally, the coverage of these elections in the international press has been a complete disaster.

So: a quick note to my international friends, just to make sure that you all know what IS going on in the Netherlands, at the moment. First of all: to my great regret, the Dutch voters did NOT reject Geert Wilders. He actually GAINED five seats in parliament. Second, the reason why Wilders won less seats than expected, is because the right-liberal VVD (which is led by prime minister Mark Rutte) has largely adopted Wilders’ racist and islamophoc discourse. 

Also, it should be noticed that Wilders’ popularity has led to the rise of various other, extreme-right parties.

In short, the Dutch Parliament has never been more rightwing, nationalist, and racist than it is today. There is very little reason to celebrate – let alone to thank the “Dutch people” for “choosing hope, unity, and dialogue”. 

Dutch voters did NOT reject Geert Wilders | Doorbraak.eu