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The sign at the entrance of the church in this tranquil Dutch village states, “All are welcome.” In this community, residents greet each other from neat porches overlooking well-kept lawns.
However, that statement of acceptance appears strangely out of context.
As a result of financial and societal worries, which have caused concerns about immigrants, individuals in this country and across the Netherlands have shifted towards the conservative end of the political spectrum. This is an extreme illustration of a pattern that is being observed throughout Europe, and it may impact the outcome of the upcoming European Union parliamentary election.
In the town of Sint Willebrord, with a population of 9,300 and a small number of immigrants, nearly 75% of voters supported an extreme anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim party in last year’s election. This result challenged the Netherlands’ reputation as a tolerant and moderate nation.
The Party for Freedom, led by a peroxide-haired firebrand named Geert Wilders, received nearly a quarter of all the votes — in a country where less than 5 percent of the people are Muslim — with slogans such as “no Islamic schools, Qurans or mosques” and “no open borders and mass immigration we cannot afford.”
In Europe, voters are giving more power to leaders such as Wilders who pledge to limit immigration and, in certain situations, curtail democratic rights, such as freedom of religion, speech, and assembly.
Experts are concerned that these forces, which have gradually emerged in countries like Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, and Austria, could ultimately lead to significant changes across the entire continent.
In the month of June, citizens from the 27 nations in the European Union will participate in elections for their next Parliament, which will serve a term of five years. Experts predict that extreme right-wing parties are likely to secure more seats, potentially increasing their impact on EU decisions regarding a range of topics such as human rights, gender equality, and immigration.
“According to Rem Korteweg, a senior research fellow at the Clingendael think tank in The Hague, individuals have grievances with traditional politics.”
In certain European countries, there has been a movement towards conservative ideologies that is threatening the principles of democracy.
According to democracy experts, the recent elections in Hungary and Serbia were considered free but not fair due to the ruling parties’ control over the media, courts, and electoral authorities.
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This article, funded by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, is a continuation of the Associated Press’ ongoing series on risks to democracy in Europe.
Increasing expenses, growing frustration
The popularity of Wilders’ Party for Freedom has more than doubled since the previous Dutch election in 2021. With a 23% share of the vote, Wilders has a strong possibility of leading a future governing alliance.
For the past 25 years, citizens in the Netherlands have become more dissatisfied as their governments have failed to prevent the decline of expected benefits such as education, healthcare, and pensions, despite high taxes.
Sint Willebrord resident Walter de Jong, 80, expressed that it feels like people are being compelled to cast their votes for Wilders. As a lifelong baker, De Jong shared that he had to shut down his business in the previous year due to increasing expenses and strict government regulations.
The decrease in the quality of life in the Netherlands has occurred at the same time as an increase in immigration. 20 years ago, there was a net loss of migrants in the country, but as of 2022, there has been a net gain of 224,000 in a population of 17.5 million.
The Netherlands has experienced a significant impact from a financial crisis that has affected various aspects of daily expenses, including healthcare and food costs.
According to a 2022 study by Dutch lender Rabobank, the amount of income required to purchase a first home has increased at a much faster rate than earnings.
Tom Theuns from Leiden University stated that housing is a failure of policy. He also mentioned that there are some populists who claim that asylum seekers are given preferential treatment in regards to housing. Even if this is not true, it can fuel racist messaging and lead to scapegoating of immigrants.
Should one reject or embrace populism?
The rise of populist messaging poses a challenge for traditional European center-right and center-left parties.
A widely used comparison for managing them is the “cordon sanitaire”, a safeguarding mechanism used to contain the transmission of contagious illnesses. In the context of politics, this involved avoiding alliances with them.
This approach was employed in Belgium to separate far-right nationalists, while in France, the Front National party led by Jean-Marie Le Pen was purposely kept away.
Under the leadership of Marine Le Pen, the Front National, now known as the National Rally, is no longer ostracized. In November, Le Pen was accepted at a demonstration against increasing antisemitism. This sparked criticism, with some using the unflattering German term “salonfähig” to describe the acceptance of a former outcast into high society.
Not too long ago, it was deemed inconceivable to form a majority coalition with Wilders’ party in the Netherlands.
However, the overall sentiment of the continent shifted. The migration crisis in Europe in 2015 served as an opportunity for far-right political ideologies to gain traction, as the EU’s response to the influx of approximately 100,000 asylum seekers per month was inadequate.
The language used by Wilders against migrants gained even greater traction.
In July, Mark Rutte’s majority coalition fell apart due to his approach to immigration. The new leader of the VVD party suggested that Wilders could potentially be a viable partner for future discussions.
According to Korteweg from the Clingendael think tank, casting a vote for Wilders was no longer considered a futile decision.
In December, a member of the Wilders’ party was elected as president of parliament, signaling a significant step towards political recognition.
Experts in politics who are anticipating the EU Parliament elections in June suggest that the developments in nations such as the Netherlands may be a sign of things to come for the governing entity of the bloc’s 450 million inhabitants.
Instead of far-right parties moving towards the center, the center may shift towards the right.
According to Korteweg from Clingendael, this could potentially pose the greatest threat to Europe.
Source: independent.co.uk
