Dutch election: anti-Islam, far-right Geert Wilders set for big win

Is there a country in the EU where the far right isn't on the rise? I need a Backup plan in case the nazis are voted in Germany again

This one hurt. The fight for the EU, the climate, diversity and the democracy just became harder.

Calm down. While he got the biggest share, it is "just" 35 seats in a 150 seats parliament. He would need another 41 seats in coalition to get anywhere, which means (as his share is the largest) he would not only need one, but at least two partners willing to form a coalition with and a government under him.

While those 35 seats are still 35 seats too many, I doubt he will run the country.

As a Dutchman, I'm kind of shocked. The battle seemed to be between the previous largest party VVD, the new NSC party and the labour/greens fusion. Then the PVV suddenly surged. Apparently a lot of people who weren't sure yet ended up going with the PVV. Out of the 4 largest parties we have 3 that are right-wing and/or conservative. The PVV is far-right (though hard to place), the VVD is a neoliberal party, and the NSC is closer to the centre but also quite conservative. We're entering dark days...

I can't do this anymore, fuck.

Anyone who thinks this shocking needs to leave their social bubble.

The European liberal left is in losing battle for their voters and their solution is pretending that nothing’s happening.

Welp, there goes my willingness to move to the Netherlands.

Seems like Europe is turning against the Muslim community.

As a Canadian I'm curious why this is happening and what people think could be done to make for a more welcoming transition. We also accepted quite a few middle eastern refugees over the past few years and I'm wondering if there are lessons to be learned.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Now Geert Wilders has likely won a massive election victory in the Netherlands and is in pole position to form the next ruling coalition and possibly become the country's next prime minister.

In his first reaction, posted in a video on X, formerly Twitter, he spread his arms wide, put his face in his hands and said simply “35!” - the number of seats the poll then forecasted his party had won.

In 2009, the British government refused to let him visit the country, saying he posed a threat to “community harmony and therefore public security.” Wilders had been invited to Britain by a member of Parliament’s upper house, the House of Lords, to show his 15-minute film “Fitna,” which criticizes the Quran as a “fascist book.” The film sparked violent protests around the Muslim world in 2008 for linking Quranic verses with footage of terrorist attacks.

To court mainstream voters this time around, Wilders toned down the anti-Islam rhetoric and sought to focus less on what he calls the “de-Islamization” of the Netherlands and more on tackling hot-button issues such as housing shortages, a cost-of-living crisis and access to good health care.

His campaign platform nonetheless calls for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union, an “asylum stop” and “no Islamic schools, Qurans and mosques,” although he pledged Wednesday night not to breach Dutch laws or the country's constitution that enshrines freedom of religion and expression.

He also is a staunch supporter of Israel and advocates shifting the Embassy of the Netherlands there to Jerusalem and closing the Dutch diplomatic post in Ramallah, home of the Palestinian Authority.

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Freedom of movement is a human right! For everyone, everywhere, in every direction!