Geert Wilders, a politician from the hard-right in the Netherlands, shall become prime minister in the near future. Europe has been shocked by Wilders’ election success because of his anti-Muslim and anti-EU stances. With Wilders leading the polls, the far-right in Europe feels that their opinions are becoming more mainstream.
The right-wing Party for Freedom’s (PVV) Geert Wilders is poised to take over as prime minister of the Netherlands. With Wilders dominating all exit polls, it is inevitable that he will succeed former Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who resigned earlier this year in July.
Well-known for his anti-Islamic and anti-immigration views, Wilders was one of the few world figures to support, the then BJP spokesperson, Nupur Sharma after she made remarks about the Prophet Muhammad in a TV debate last year.
After defending Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nupur, Wilders gained popularity in India. “Appeasement never works. It will only make things worse. So, my dear friends from India, don’t be intimidated by Islamic countries. Stand up for freedom and be proud and steadfast in defending your politician Nupur Sharma who spoke the truth…,” he had said. Nupur Sharma was praised as a hero by Wilders, who also supported her nomination for the Nobel Prize. “Nupur Sharma is a hero who spoke nothing but the truth. The whole world should be proud of her. She deserves the Nobel Prize. And India is a Hindu nation, the Indian government is obliged to strongly defend Hindus against Islamic hate and violence,” Wilders posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. In yet another tweet, Winders, supported Nupur Sharma on X and wrote that, India had no sharia courts. He urged Nupur Sharma to not be apologetic. “She should never apologize for speaking the truth about #Muhammad. She is not responsible for Udaipur. Radical intolerant jihadi Muslims are responsible and nobody else”, he tweeted then.
Wilders strongly condemned the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for issuing a statement denouncing India for Sharma’s comments. “I would say look at yourself in the mirror before you decide what you think about India or any other country. The OIC released a declaration about human rights and all these nations are attacking India. They put Sharia law above democracy and human rights,” said Wilders. According to him, the OIC’s member countries have the poorest human rights records and are the most intolerable and undemocratic nations. “If you are a minority in those countries, you are persecuted and taken to jail. You lose freedom. India is a sovereign nation. We should not allow being lectured by them,” he added.
Like Nupur Sharma, Wilders has also been the target of death threats due to his strong anti-Islamic sentiments. He is well-protected by the police as the leader of the opposition, and if and when he takes the oath of office as prime minister, his security detail may grow.
Additionally, Wilders had backed the Indian government’s move to remove archaic Articles 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir. “India is a full democracy. Pakistan is a 100 per cent terror state. So the choice is easy. Welcome home Kashmir. #IndiaForKashmir,” Wilders had posted on twitter, now referred as X
In a television interview, Wilders stated that the Article was only a temporary solution and that the West should back the proper decision to remove it. “The decision to revoke Article 370 and 35 by the Indian government is the country’s matter. I believe that the Western world should support India because its Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament earlier this week that democracy was never fully implemented in Jammu and Kashmir under the Article,” said Wilders.
“That is why I say welcome home Kashmir. Those regions and people will develop more under Indian control rather than under the influence of the terror regime in Islamabad. India is our friend and we should support our friend,” he added.
Exit polls indicated that Wilders’ PVV had secured 35 seats in the lower house of parliament, which is more than twice as many as the 17 seats he had won in the previous election.
With proposals for actions like border closures and the deportation of illegal Muslim immigrants, Wilders’ primary goal in running for office was to halt illegal immigrations. “The Dutch hope that the people can get their country back and that we will ensure that the tsunami of asylum-seekers and immigration is reduced,” Wilders said in his victory speech. Wilders has previously called Prophet Mohammad a “paedophile”, Islam a “fascist ideology” and a “backward religion”.
According to media reports, Dutch Muslims expressed shock on Thursday at far-right populist Geert Wilders’ election victory. Wilders has previously called for the Dutch government to ban mosques and the Koran.
For a considerable amount of time, Geert Wilders has been a well-known lawmaker both domestically, within Netherlands and internationally. Known as the Dutch version of Donald Trump, he is well-known for his vehement advocacy against immigration, the EU, and, more specifically, Islam.
He surprised everyone by winning the general election on Wednesday, putting him in a strong position to become the next prime minister of the nation. Now all he needs to do is convince other parties that he is a worthy coalition partner.
Siddhartha Dave is an alumnus of the United Nations University in Tokyo and a former Lok Sabha Research Fellow. He writes on foreign affairs and national security.