So,
perhaps it is time for protest after all. Disbelief with a hint of
infuriation. Major wins for local and liberal parties in the
municipal elections two weeks ago, fantastic - but at the same time the
Netherlands' most infamous right-wing party leader crossed all lines
of decency with his most racist comment yet.
Tolerance:
a word the Netherlands is so widely associated with, and the Dutch take great
pride in this, myself included. We have a long-standing history of liberal
policy, from our 'legal' drugs and prostitution, to our social security system
and our quasi-successful quest for sustainability and innovation. No wonder
that from time to time we have trouble explaining our unique, stubborn,
bike-riding, down-to-earth, orange-wearing, tulip-growing nation to our foreign
friends. And who merely visits our capital is unluckily exposed to a
caricature of it all. Amsterdam is every commercialisable Dutch
stereotype, gift wrapped in outrageous admission fees. Nonetheless, I
love the confusion, I love the freedom, the melting-pot that is our capital,
and the (at times misguided) feeling that anything goes.
But
where liberalism, openness and tolerance are greatly appreciated by some,
others retreat in a spreading mist of conservatism. A financial
crisis, media headlines singling out minorities in negative ways, and the good
old fear of the unknown all lead to a growing resistance to change, and with
this a resistance to foreign cultures.
There
is one man in particular who likes to exploit this. Geert Wilders is party
leader of the PVV (Freedom Party), a right-wing party known for its anti-Islam,
anti-immigration and anti-EU standpoints, as well as the controversial on
racism bordering comments of its members. In 2011, the PVV proposed a bill
against hiring women who wear headscarves as government officials. Naturally,
this bill was rejected, but it gives you a rough idea of the field they're
playing.
As
a result of the elections, The Hague's city council is now primarily
made up of PVV members. That would indeed be the same city coined
"international city of peace and justice" by the Dutch Prime Minister
during last week’s Nuclear Security Summit. After his win Wilders gave a
speech and asked his audience "Do you want more or fewer Moroccans in
your city and your country?" to which the audience
chanted "fewer, fewer, fewer" (the video below has English
subtitles).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGy-CYhZczo
In
the aftermath of that debacle, the PVV tumbled in voter polls, party members
quit, people of all nationalities protested on social networks, there were
discussions on TV, on the radio, in newspapers, there were gatherings and
demonstrations, many filed discrimination statements with the police
and hundreds of people filed for criminal charges with the Justice
Department.
A
few days after the elections delightfully satirical jokes flooded the social
channels. A friend promoting his band's new album: "Do you want to hear
more or fewer new songs? ... More, more, more." Dutch Moroccans posted
photos on Twitter showing their Dutch and Moroccan passports under the caption #BornHere. And then there's
the brilliant video of Dutch celebrities mocking Wilders by dancing to a
Dutch Moroccan's song 'Leipe (Crazy) Mocro Flavour'. Overall people have been
supportive and extremely humorous, just the way to deal with something you
can't really take seriously.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9XvB6MTSN0
Now,
there are a couple of important things to keep in mind here. One, in the
Netherlands the main discussion is not about whether Wilders is right.
He's not. Two, even though he doesn't convey the opinion of the ‘Dutch people',
he apparently gained enough support to have something to speech about, and
that's troublesome. Three, the Dutch are big fans of their right to freedom of
speech. Even though many of the things Wilders says on a daily basis may be
repulsive, most of them are simply ignored.
But
with his comment something changed, it wasn't ignored. He singled out a group
based solely on nationality. Moroccans belong to one of the largest minority
communities in the Netherlands (a close second would be the Turkish
community). According to Wilders, Moroccans are over-represented in criminal
activities, and highly dependent on the Dutch welfare system. Both are very
likable arguments from a nationalist point of view. One of the major things
he's vouched for so far is the deportation of Dutch Moroccan criminals with
dual nationality, by revoking their Dutch passport. Even though I don't agree
with him in the slightest, I support the notion that in principle he must be
able to make his arguments, right or wrong. Which brings us to what the
discussion here is really about, and it's two things: should Wilders be
legally allowed to make the comment he made in his election speech (1),
and should we discuss his actions (potentially given him the attention he's
craving) or ignore him instead (2). Almost two weeks after the fact there
is no straight answer, and I don't expect there will be one any time soon.
My
personal view is that no one should get convicted on grounds of his or her
words or opinions alone. But we all enjoy the same rights, and if he abuses his
rights in such a way that it impedes someone else's, then
we're allowed to protest that all the same. I chose to make a
statement of discrimination, but hundreds of people chose to make a legal claim
instead. They can, they're allowed to, and whether or not
these claims are valid is up to a judge to decide. My reason for starting a
discussion on Facebook, for filing a discrimination statement, for writing this
even, is to keep people talking. There is a reason Wilders was
standing there giving that speech, he won. People voted for him, and that's why
I vote to have a discussion. Not to reward Wilders by giving him attention, but
to reach those people who were convinced enough by his arguments that they
gave him their support. They put him in The Hague's city council, they keep him
in the House of Representatives, and they might want to reconsider. Because
this kind of behaviour is all but civil and not acceptable in the liberal,
open, tolerant society we believe ourselves to be.
Mandy
van der Net
Utrecht,
Netherlands
