‘Netherlands First’

Geert Wilders, an outspoken critic of Islam, is all set to be sworn in as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. His Partij voor de Vrijheid (Party for Freedom) achieved a historic victory by winning 37 seats in the 156-seat Dutch Parliament. This is the first time in the Dutch political history of the past 2 decades that a party won such a large number of seats (In the 2010 elections the VVD had won 31 seats. His shock victory has brought joy among people who have been victims of Islamist terror everywhere, but the Western media has termed it as ‘terrible’ while gaslighting his real concerns under ‘extreme right’ and ‘Islamophobia’ labels. The cigar-smoking media critics need to understand that Wilders won the seats democratically. It simply translates into the fact that Wilders has the support of the Dutch public.

The Netherlands is the fifth largest economy in Europe. Despite a population of only 17 million, it is a developed nation. However, over the years, hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees flooded the Netherlands. Hundreds of thousands more from Syria, Afghanistan and North Africa have set up camp in Europe. Mr Wilders’ election campaign was based mostly on this issue. In the run-up to the elections, the liberals, socialists, and Christian parties also put forth their perspectives about this issue, which thereby emerged as a major contributor to the country’s problems. Wilders’ PVV party approached the elections with the nationalist initiative, ‘Netherlands First’. The PVV poll manifesto promised to ban the Quran and impose restrictions on refugees. It will be interesting to see what becomes of these promises, considering that Mr Wilders will have to form a coalition with the other parties who may not enthusiastically share all his views. Wilders is not against Muslims but is against Islamism. His outspoken criticism of Islam has earned him the ire of jihadis and made him the subject of several fatwas (Islamic rulings) that call for his beheading. Wilder’s nationalist views have cost him his freedom, with him needing a round-the-clock security detail for the last 18 years.

India and Geert Wilders !

India, which continues to bear the brunt of Islamist terror, is home to a large fan base that supports Wilders. He too considers India as a friend. His support of India is not inconsequential, as he completely endorses nationalism and Hindutva. It was Wilders who came out in support of erstwhile BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma when she was facing death threats over her alleged offensive statement against Islam. Wilders condemned the brutal murder of Kanhaiyalal, a poor tailor who shared a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma, by 2 Muslim youths. On X (formerly Twitter), he asked India that as ‘a friend of India’, [he asked India] ‘stop being tolerant to the intolerant. Defend Hinduism against the extremists, terrorists and jihadists. Don’t appease Islam, for it will cost you dearly. Hindus deserve leaders that protect them for the full 100%!’

European politics inching towards nationalism

The European political landscape has seen several upheavals over the past decade. Viktor Orbán’s far-right conservative party has been in power in Hungary since 2010. In Germany, Olaf Scholz of the ‘Social Democratic’ party is the chancellor of the country, but the right wing nationalist parties are growing every other day. Politico published an article titled ‘Germany bewildered about how to halt the rise of the AfD’ on the rising support to far-right political ideologies like Alternative for Germany (AfD) which are reaping the benefits of anti-Islam and anti-migration political talk. German political parties are seeing their support erode in favour of AfD. AfD’s support base has doubled over the last two years. Even France, a progressive society, has felt the seismic jolts of rising nationalism. President Emmanuel Macron secured a win over the anti-immigrant nationalist Marie Le Pen in the last election and claimed that France had voted for inclusivity. However, increasing jihadi attacks over the past few years have forced Macron to adopt a nationalist stance. He eventually banned some mosques and madrassas there, as well as the use of hijab in public. The sudden change in the ideology of the left-wing head of state is a historic event in itself. This shows where the hopes and aspirations of the European people lie. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who came to Delhi for the G20 summit, has gained popularity among Indians in recent times. Meloni’s office is variously described as radical or the most right-wing government. Hardline nationalist parties have also stormed into power in Sweden and Finland. These recent events are indicative of changing tides and the victory of the future Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Geert Wilders, is sure to shake up world politics.

The recent war between Hamas and Israel has led to violent demonstrations by many Palestinian supporters across the world. It would be unsurprising if the world, not just Europe, adopted a hardline nationalist stance. Geert Wilders’ victory and the rise of nationalism world over are ample proof that when the nation is under siege, people will choose nationalism over development.