On Wednesday, February 1st, people from D66, myself included, attended a medium-sized (2.500 people for an event organized in 3 days) demonstration in The Hague about Trumps policies (immigration ban; Muslims; Disabled; Women) and style of politics and government. This being an election campaign season, it was also attended by party leaders of PvdA (Labour), D66 (Dutch LibDems) and the Greens; and NGO’s like Amnesty and Oxfam NOVIB (=Dutch branch Oxfam) sent speakers. So far nothing remarkable.
But it was exceptional that the PvdA party leader, Asscher, is also vice prime minister and minister on Immigrants Integration, and that the PvdA minister on Education and Emancipation (including LGTB and disabled) filled the PvdA speakers slot.
I started following Dutch politics in gymnasium (Dutch type of Grammar school) around 1970; this was the second time in that era that Dutch Cabinet ministers attended demonstrations against policies of foreign governments.
The first time was when PvdA prime minister Joop den Uyl (leading a mostly progressive coalition that included D66) spoke on a demonstration against the garroting of Basque ETA activists by the Spanish Franco (fascist) government in 1974.
This makes it all the more significant that Dutch Cabinet ministers spoke at a demonstration against an elected, democratic American government. Remember that the Dutch supported the American revolution, recogniaed George Washingtons leadership and harboured the “admiral” of his nascent navy against the hunting Royal Navy (see Barbara Tuchmans book “The First Salute.” Our Surinam bauxite was necessary, and freely offered, for the wartime American aircraft production in 1941-‘5; and the Dutch joined American (and British) forces in Korea (1950), Afghanistan (2011-present) and even in governing a province, Al Muthanna, in Iraq with a UN Mandate, 2003-05.
In TV news interviews, D66 party leader Alexander Pechtold MP stressed the mind-boggling, disturbing changes in the relations of Trumps America with China, Putins Russia, the EU (see Mr Tusk; and mind the Putin-Le Pen Axis), and on the rights of women (an old issue of all Social Liberals), LGTBI (ditto), free trade and the free movement of people (ditto).
The rightwing-Liberal VVD leader, prime minister Rutte, didn’t attend, but both he and Asscher confirmed in parliament that worries about discrimination with Trump are government policy. What a difference with the self-seeking, grovelling May government attempt to get a British exemption on the Trumps immigration ban; Brexiteers solo appeasement instead of European solidarity!
The curious thing about Rutte’s condemnation of Trump is that the New York Times quoted an array of Dutch media attacking Rutte for using populist, Wilders-like frames and wording during the present election campaign. And he and Wilders, in a joint statement, threaten to boycott the very customary opening TV debate (of a series by diverse broadcasters) if more (=leftist) party leaders are allowed to join beside CDA and D66.
* Dr. Bernard Aris is a historian, a D66 parliamentary researcher and a LibDem supporting member.
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Wilders over the weekend reacted
*) both to Pechtolds presence at the demonstration,
*) and to an ironic comment of a D66 alderman Mrs. Simone Kukenheim ( Amsterdam)at a New Years reception of an “remember negro slavery” NGO, who quipped that after Scotland threatens to quit the UK after Brexit, and California the US after Trump getting elected, it would be only natural for a multicultural, tolerant town like Amsterdam to quit the Netherlands if Wilders gets to be prime minister.
Wilders posted a photoshopped photo from his UK visit in 2009 to show his divisive film “Fitna”; you see a demomstration of extreme muslims in London praising Hamas. In the middle of the melee someone (Wilders swears it’s not him) posted a photo of Pechtolds face.
Under it Wilders wrote: “What will be next? D66 at a Hamas demonstration? Amsterdam exiting the Netherlnads?”
Pechtold responded by revealing that the man who recently was tried and convicted for online threatening to shoot Pechtold was a loud PVV supporter (Pechtold attended as witness for the prosecution, telling the upset to his family of resulting security measures by the police).
He also said Wilders is inciting extremists in his following, and that is no way to conduct a democratic election campaign. Labour and the Green Party have supported Pechtold in this; he’s considering a prosecution.
America’s biggest tech companies have joined the legal fight against the travel ban. I can’t wait to see Trump’s tweet against Twitter.