Page 5 - aruba-today-20231124

A5
WORLD NEWS Friday 24 November 2023

Dutch election winner Geert Wilders is an anti-Islam firebrand

known as the Dutch Donald Trump

By Mike Corder in 2008 for linking Quranic
Associated Press verses with footage of ter-
THE HAGUE, Netherlands rorist attacks.
(AP) — He's been called To court mainstream vot-
the Dutch Donald Trump. ers this time around, Wilders
He's been threatened with toned down the anti-Islam
death countless times by Is- rhetoric and sought to fo-
lamic extremists, convicted cus less on what he calls
of insulting Moroccans, and the “de-Islamization” of
Britain once banned him the Netherlands and more
from entering the country. on tackling hot-button is-
Now Geert Wilders has sues such as housing short-
won a massive victory in ages, a cost-of-living crisis
a Dutch election and is in and access to good health
pole position to form the care.
next governing coalition His campaign platform
and possibly become the nonetheless calls for a ref-
Netherlands' next prime erendum on the Nether-
minister. lands leaving the European
An exit poll revealing his Union, an “asylum stop”
landslide appeared to take and “no Islamic schools,
even 60-year-old political Qurans and mosques,”
veteran Wilders by surprise. Dutch politician Geert Wilders arrives for a press conference in London, Friday, March 5, 2010. although he pledged
In his first reaction, posted (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File Wednesday night not to
in a video on X, formerly breach Dutch laws or the
Twitter, he spread his arms The only time Wilders came election celebration in a curity guards scanning the country's constitution that
wide, put his face in his close to governing was small bar in a working class cavernous space for pos- enshrines freedom of reli-
hands and said simply “35!” when he supported the first suburb of The Hague. sible threats. He has moved gion and expression.
— the number of seats an coalition formed by Prime Whether he can piece to- from one safe house to an- Wilders is set to become the
exit poll forecast his Party Minister Mark Rutte in 2010. gether a stable coalition other over nearly two de- longest-serving lawmaker
for Freedom, or PVV, won But Wilders did not formally with former political foes re- cades. In 2009, the British in the Dutch parliament
in the 150-seat lower house join the minority administra- mains to be seen. government refused to let later this year. He has been
of parliament. tion and brought it down As well as alienating main- him visit the country, say- a member of the House of
Wilders, with his fiery tongue after just 18 months in of- stream politicians, his fiery ing he posed a threat to Representatives since 1998,
has long been one of the fice in a dispute over aus- anti-Islam rhetoric also has “community harmony and first for the center-right
Netherlands’ best-known terity measures. Since then, made him a target for ex- therefore public security.” People’s Party for Freedom
lawmakers at home and mainstream parties have tremists and led to him liv- Wilders had been invited and Democracy, where he
abroad. His populist poli- shunned him. They no lon- ing under round-the-clock to Britain by a member of mentored a young Rutte
cies and shock of perox- ger can. “The PVV wants protection for years. He has Parliament’s upper house, before quitting the party
ide blond hair have drawn to, from a fantastic position appeared in court as a vic- the House of Lords, to show and setting up his Party for
comparisons with Trump. with 35 seats that can to- tim of death threats, vow- his 15-minute film “Fitna,” Freedom. He demonstrat-
But, unlike Trump, he tally no longer be ignored ing never to be silenced. which criticizes the Quran ed a softer side Wednes-
seemed destined to spend by any party, cooperate Voting Wednesday at The as a “fascist book.” The film day night by thanking his
his life in political opposi- with other parties,” he told Hague City Hall, Wilders sparked violent protests Hungarian-born wife Krisz-
tion. cheering supporters at his was flanked by burly se- around the Muslim world tina for her support.q

EU sends border police reinforcements

to Finland over fears that Russia is

behind a migrant influx

By Lorne Cook and with patrol cars and ad- Finnish Prime Minister Pet-
Jari Tanner ditional equipment, to be teri Orpo, who addressed
Associated Press put in place as soon as next lawmakers at Parliament
HELSINKI (AP) — The Euro- week. on Thursday, called the sit-
pean Union’s border agen- More than 800 migrants uation “a serious disruption
cy said Thursday that it will without proper visas and of border security” that af-
send dozens of officers and documentation have ar- fects the national security
equipment as reinforce- rived in Finland so far since of Finland, whose popula-
ments to Finland to help August, with more than 700 tion is 5.6 million. Finnish Border Guards escort migrants at the international border
police its borders amid sus- in November alone by the “Finland cannot be influ- crossing between Finland and Russia, in Salla, Finland, Thursday,
picion that Russia is behind end of Wednesday — com- enced, Finland cannot be Nov. 23, 2023.
an influx of migrants arriving pared to a few dozen in destabilized,” Orpo said (Jussi Nukari/Lehtikuva via AP)
to the country. Frontex said September and October. with a decisive tone. “Rus-
that it expects a “signifi- They include people from sia started this, and Russia On Wednesday, Finnish topped with barbed-wire at
cant reinforcement” made Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Ye- also can stop it.” border guards and soldiers some crossing points on the
up of 50 border guard offi- men, Kenya, Morocco and The Kremlin denies the alle- began erecting barriers, in- Nordic country’s lengthy
cers and other staff, along Somalia. gations. cluding concrete obstacles border with Russia.q