An interesting confrontation recently took place a couple of days prior to Dutch local elections. All the candidates of the leading political parties of the Netherlands met on national television for one last debate before voters headed to the polls. Out of the seven or so political leaders on stage two were chosen to go head to head on a question that a decade ago could not even have been raised but has since come to dominate Dutch political discourse: Is Islam a threat to Dutch society?
The two men chosen for this debate truly represented polar opposites of Dutch society. On one side was Wouter Bos, former vice-premier and leader of social-democratic Party of Labor, a party that has been in power in some form of coalition or another for the majority of years since 1945. The party is credited with helping rebuild the Netherlands after the war and reshaping it into all of what the post-war Netherlands has come to represent: social liberalism, the welfare state, tolerance, and of course, multiculturalism. This is the establishment.
On the other side was Geert Wilders, a man currently under indictment by the Dutch government. A man who lives under twenty-four hour protection due to death threats and is routinely vilified by politicians and major press as a "fascist." A man who until recently was banned from even entering the United Kingdom. In other words, the anti-establishment.
Wouter Bos predictably answered that Islam poses no threat to Dutch society; there is room enough for everyone in the Netherlands. Wilders retorted that Islam is indeed a threat, arguing that with it have come extremism, criminality, and lack of respect for western values. He called for a moratorium on immigration and for foreign criminals to be punished with lengthy prison sentences followed by deportation. "Enough is enough!" exclaimed Wilders to a mixture of cheers and boos.
The majority of the rest of the debate featured the other Dutch politicians bashing Wilders. From the political left to the right Wilders was called and "extremist" and "dangerous." There was a call from one party to exclude Wilders from the political process. Then, at the end of the debate the moderators made known the result of a poll asking 'Who won the debate?' There was hushed silence followed by loud shock when it was announced that Wilders was voted overwhelmingly the winner. It seemed the Dutch politicians and Dutch people were of two completely different mindsets.
The results of the elections two days later are well known. Wilders’ party, the Party for Freedom, performed very well, becoming the largest party in Almere and the second biggest party in the capital of The Hague. The media immediately proclaimed it a victory for the "far-right." The international media in particular reported the results with a sense of alarm, asking how such an "extremist" as Geert Wilders could possibly have widespread support in such a tolerant country as the Netherlands?
It is a valid question. Of course, Geert Wilders is really neither "far-right" nor an "extremist", but media regularly portray him that way and I would wager the majority of Dutch public believe it. So why do so many support him?
It is because they are reacting to extreme conditions. By extreme conditions one may be inclined to think I mean the murder of Theo van Gogh in broad daylight for being critical of Islam, the Hofstad terrorist network, or the fact that a Dutch politician is forced to live under constant security for fear of his life. That is all true, but what I really mean are the fear and injustices many Dutch must face on a daily basis.
Dutch women are harassed and called whores when walking through Muslim neighborhoods. Dutch who have contributed through high taxes their whole lives to social services are put last in line behind immigrants. Dutch who are attacked by gangs of immigrant youth for just being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Dutch who must fear their house being broken into or car stolen because criminals are given a slap on the wrist and released back on the streets. I could go on and on. This is what creates true terror for many Dutch citizens.
Naturally, critics would be quick to point out that not all Dutch suffer these injustices. This is true. The Dutch working and middle class suffer them but those who drive to work, live in rich neighborhoods, and only travel in exclusive circles have little to fear. They don’t live near asylum centers, ride the tram through sketchy areas late at night, or attend “inclusive” schools. They live in a different world. Therefore it is little wonder that this elite class which comprises the Dutch political establishment is amazed and dumbfounded by the popular appeal of Wilders.
The political establishment may not understand the problems of ordinary Dutch but they have come to realize that Dutch voters want to hear about immigration and law and order. As a result, many parties such as the Christian Democrats have recently come to adopt Wilders-style slogans about crime and immigration. Even the social-democrat Wouter Bos spoke during the debate about the need to crack down on crime and the problem of criminality among foreigners. Unfortunately for them, however, the Dutch are not as stupid as they think and easily recognize insincerity. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that if the Christian Democrats and Party of Labor really wanted to do something about crime and immigration they'd have done it during their past four years in the ruling coalition government.
Therefore the people turn to Wilders because they’ve had enough. Enough of the unresponsive political establishment. Enough of living in fear. Enough of paying for social parasites. Enough of living as foreigners in their own country. That is why when Wilders yells “enough is enough!” a million Dutch voices join him.
