Geert Wilders, founder and leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom, during day two of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 19, 2016. (Photo: Damon Winter / The New York Times)
Dutch politician Geert Wilders — a poster boy for promoting Islamophobia in Europe and the United States — has been on trial for alleged hate speech against Moroccans since October 31. The Dutch court is expected to deliver its verdict tomorrow.
The trial concerns a 2014 political rally at which Wilders asked the audience whether they wanted “more or fewer Moroccans in this city [The Hague] and in the Netherlands.” When the crowd started chanting, “Fewer, fewer!” Wilders replied, “Well, we’ll arrange that, then.” As a result of his comments, thousands of citizens filed hate-speech complaints against Wilders. Dutch prosecutors then filed charges against him.
As the head of the far-right Dutch Party For Freedom (PVV), Wilders has crafted a pernicious message based on fear of the “threat” of Muslim immigration, an appeal to Dutch cultural chauvinism and Euroscepticism that resonates with many Dutch voters.
During the past several years, Wilders has also delivered numerous alarmist speeches in the United States, warning American audiences of what he sees as an increasing threat of Islamic influence and Sharia law in Europe and the US.
Wilders’ visits to the US reflect the mutually reinforcing relationship between the white supremacist far right in Europe and in the United States. Just as Wilders helped pave the way for Trump’s ascension by stoking Islamophobia in the US, Trump’s victory in the 2016 US election has helped to legitimize far-right white nationalist parties — like the one Wilders leads — in Europe.
Wilders’ Efforts to Stoke Islamophobia in the US
In 2009, Wilders appeared before the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and stated, “Our Western culture based on Christianity, Judaism and humanism is in every aspect better than Islamic culture.” Later in 2009, he…