Geert Wilders described it as the “most beautiful day” of his political life. But for many across the Netherlands, news that Wilders’ far-right, anti-Islam party had emerged with the most votes in Wednesday’s election set off alarm bells over what might lie ahead in a country once regarded as a beacon of tolerance.
“These election results are shocking for Dutch Muslims,” said Muhsin Köktas of the Contact Body for Muslims and Government. “We did not expect such a party with a programme that is against the basic principles of the rule of law to be so big.”
At the helm of the Party for Freedom (PVV), Wilders has long taken aim at Islam, describing it as a fascist ideology of “a retarded culture” and a “backward religion”. Since 2004, he has been under police protection and in 2016 was convicted of discrimination after he called Moroccans “scum” at a campaign rally.
Though he sought to soften his anti-Islam rhetoric in the lead-up to the elections, the party’s manifesto includes a ban on mosques, the Qur’an and Islamic headscarves in government buildings. As his party’s gains became clear on Wednesday evening, Wilders vowed to push policies “within the law and constitution”.
The apparent change in tone was of little comfort to Köktas. “We have great concerns about the future of Islam and Muslims in the Netherlands,” he said.
He hoped that people from across the Netherlands would join together to defend and protect the rule of law. “This is absolutely necessary, not only for the future of Muslims but also for the future of the peaceful Dutch society,” he added.
With nearly all votes counted, preliminary results from Wednesday’s election showed PVV taking 37 seats, more than any other party.
“The distress and the fear are enormous,” said Habib El Kaddouri, who leads a Dutch organisation representing Dutch Moroccans. “Wilders is known for his ideas about Muslims and Moroccans. We are afraid that he will portray us as second-class citizens.”
While it remains to be seen whether Wilders can cobble together enough support to form a majority or become prime minister, El Kaddouri pointed to the wider message sent by the Dutch embracing a man who has been labelled as a Dutch version of Donald Trump. “I don’t know if Muslims are still safe in the Netherlands,” he told the news agency ANP. “I am worried about this country.”
Stephan van Baarle, leader of the minority rights party Denk, refused to congratulate Wilders on the PVV’s election success. “The fact that the PVV is the biggest party is a threat for a million Dutch Muslims,” he told broadcaster Nos.
“Mr Wilders wants to take away their rights,” he added, describing the electoral results as a “threat to our legal state” and undeserving of any congratulations. “It’s a reason to fight harder and harder against discrimination.”
On Wednesday evening, Wilders said he would seek to live up to the hopes of his voters and vowed that “the Netherlands will be returned to the Dutch, the asylum tsunami and migration will be curbed”.
At the Dutch Council for Refugees, the hardline stance on asylum was met with dismay. In a statement, the NGO noted it was “very concerned about the people who have to flee war and violence, now that a party that unequivocally advocates an asylum freeze has become the largest in the Netherlands”.
The council added that it was impossible to ignore the VVD and NSC. The two parties also advocate for fewer asylum seekers, and also received a significant number of votes as people in the Netherlands grapple with issues such as a housing shortage and the climate crisis.
“We ask the next cabinet not to get bogged down in symbol politics that fuel polarisation,” said Frank Candel, chair of the council’s board. “But to get to work on solutions that address the concerns of citizens and are good for refugees.”
While the possibility of Wilders becoming the Netherlands’ next prime minister remained small, the fact that so many voters had backed him was disappointing, said Mustafa Ayranci of the Turkish workers’ association HTIB. “The Dutch people have made a statement. We must respect that,” he told Dutch news agency ANP.
Ayranci said that should Wilders win enough support to form a coalition with a working parliamentary majority, he would be watching to see if the far-right leader would keep his promise, made in the lead-up to the election, to act as a prime minister for all Dutch people.
The hope, he said, would be “that he will not only become the prime minister of Jan and Piet, but also of Mustafa and Ahmed”.
Mohammed Aknin, a prominent Muslim leader in the city of Tilburg, said he had spent Wednesday evening fielding WhatsApp messages from worried members of the community. “People are afraid that there will soon be a ban on headscarves, for example.”
What comes next is anyone’s guess, he told the public broadcaster Omroep Brabant. “The fox may lose his hair, but not his cunning,” he said. “Over the past 20 years he has been clear in what he thinks. We just have to wait and see what he can do next.”
