Gee, prosecuting Geert Wilders for “Islamophobia” in a politically rigged show trial seems to be working out just swell for the Dutch establishment. Local election watch from EuroNews:
Attention is also on Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party which is contesting locally for the first time after its strong showing in the European elections.
From Time:
The real victors in the next elections could end up being smaller parties at the fringes of mainstream politics, with polls indicating that the anti-immigrant Freedom Party of Geert Wilders might take second place.
From the Financial Times:
Early results from Dutch local elections on Wednesday night indicated that the far-right anti-immigration party of Geert Wilders was on course to make big gains in a closely watched vote ahead of a general election in June.
From the Guardian:
Big Gains For Far-Right Leader Geert Wilders
From Agence France-Presse:
. . . the big winner being extreme right, anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders whose Party for Freedom (PVV) is now estimated by some to be the most popular.
From Radio Netherlands:
The anti-Islam party of far-right politician Geert Wilders has made major gains in local elections held in the Netherlands. The party took part in two cities and has become the largest party in Almere and the second largest in The Hague. . . . An opinion poll held at the same time as the local vote showed that Wilders’ Freedom Party had the most support in the Netherlands and would be the biggest party nationally should a general election be held now.
Putting to one side the stupidity of the Dutch establishment in attempting to criminalize legitimate political opposition, one is struck by the media boilerplate: Wilders is the “extreme” “far-right” “fringe”, but the parties he beats are the “mainstream”? That there is a lot of what’s wrong with the European political discourse. Maybe he only seems so “extreme” and “far” because you’re the one out on the fringe.