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WORLD NEWS 9
Saturday 4 March 2017
TV commentator makes equality an issue in Dutch elections
MIKE CORDER TV presenter Sylvana Simons answers questions during a book presentation in The Hague, Nether- derscore its intention to
Associated Press lands, Friday, March 3, 2017. Simons is taking her campaign for equality in Dutch society into the protect the rights of all
THE HAGUE, Netherlands country’s Parliamentary elections. members of Dutch society.
(AP) — Television com- They range in age from
mentator Sylvana Simons (AP Photo/Mike Corder) 18 to 82, and include a
is taking her campaign for transgender man and a
equality in Dutch society tion manifesto includes ing for inclusiveness and by their government and woman from Burundi who
into the country’s elec- banning all immigration equality. has the space to be who- describes herself on the
tions. and asylum-seekers from Simons said she wants The ever he or she — and ev- party website as feeling at
Simons has for more than a Muslim countries, shutting Netherlands to be a coun- erything and everyone in- home in various identities:
year endured a stream of mosques and outlawing try where every citizen between — wants to be.” “Vegan, non-binary trans-
online racial abuse follow- the Quran, Simons is plead- “feels safe and protected Article 1’s candidates un- gender, black, queer.”
ing some of her remarks on The Netherlands was long
TV, including questioning a known as a bastion of
talk show guest about lan- tolerance and individu-
guage he used to describe al freedoms. It was the
migrants arriving on boats world’s first country to le-
in Italy.“The rest is history,” galize same-sex marriage
she said Friday, reading and has one of the most
from a book that outlines liberal drug policies.But its
her new party’s manifesto. society has turned increas-
“For those who missed it: ingly inward in recent years
tens of thousands of hate with lawmakers like Wilders
messages, death wishes, condemning the influx of
detailed rape fantasies Muslims and saying that
with me in the main role.” Islam is incompatible with
Simons, a former host for traditional Dutch values.
the Dutch version of MTV “It is bitter that in 2017 we
and a regular on night- need a party that is de-
ly talk show “De Wereld fending what we ... agreed
Draait Door,” is the best- to do so long ago,” Simons
known of 20 candidates said.q
standing for a new party
called Article 1. Petition urges Obama to run for president - of France
The name is a reference
to the opening paragraph S. PETREQUIN as a big joke between
of the Dutch Constitution, friends, one of the orga-
which outlaws discrimina- Associated Press nizers told The Associated
tion based on race, reli- Press. He identified himself
gion, gender or any other PARIS (AP) — “Oui on only as “Antoine,” declin-
reason. ing to give his real name
“The trouble is, our Consti- peut!” because the posters have
tution’s first article is under been put up illegally and
pressure,” said Simons, a The slogan on posters in he feared a fine.
former dancer of Surinam- Antoine, who spoke to the
ese descent. Paris streets translates as AP in Paris with his face
Her message of inclusive- covered by a cut-out mask
ness is a stark contrast to “Yes We Can!” of Obama, said that he
the polarizing anti-Islam and his friends decided on
rhetoric of lawmaker Geert Heard that before? the campaign over a drink,
Wilders, whose Party for after realizing they didn’t
Freedom is forecast to The people behind the know for whom they would
make major gains during vote.Antoine said he in-
the March 15 election for campaign are urging for- vested 1,500 euros ($1,592)
Parliament’s lower house. in the campaign, printing
Simons’ party has a fight mer U.S President Barack out 500 posters. The team
on its hands to win a single has also had mugs and T-
seat.While Wilders’ elec- Obama to join the French shirts made with the image
of Obama, which they are
presidential race.
selling on their website..q
Their online petition has al-
ready attracted more than
45,000 signatures in 10 days
and they hope to reach a Two organizers of a online petition known under the pseudonym
of Antoine and Antoine wearing masks of former U.S. President
million supporters by March Barack Obama as they stick a campaign poster on a wall who
reads “yes we can” in Paris, Friday, March 3, 2017. An online
15. petition urging Barack Obama to join the French presidential
race has attracted more than 45,000 signatures in 10 days.
With the buildup to the
(AP Photo/Michel Euler)
April-May presidential
ers say they want to inject campaign.
election so far dominated a dose of humor in the The whole thing started
by the corruption investi-
gation targeting conserva-
tive Francois Fillon, organiz-
