Who is Geert Wilders, the ‘Dutch Trump’ supporting Nupur Sharma?

Bharatiya Janata Social gathering’s (BJP) now-suspended spokeswoman Nupur Sharma, who’s receiving flak from the world for her derogatory feedback on Prophet Muhammad, has discovered a uncommon supporter in Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders.

The far-right politician from the Netherlands defended Sharma, saying she was talking “nothing however the fact about Prophet Muhammad and his spouse Aisha”. He has been actively tweeting in defence of the BJP chief, even hailing her as a hero.

“Appeasement by no means works. It should solely make issues worse. So, my expensive associates from India, don’t be intimidated by Islamic international locations. Get up for freedom and be proud and steadfast in defending your politician Nupur Sharma who spoke the reality about Muhammad,” one other tweet by Wilders reads.

Additionally learn: Defined: Record of nations attacking India rises, however their observe file on faith questionable

Calling the Islamic world condemning Sharma’s remarks hypocrites, he wrote that these “nations don’t have any democracy, no rule of legislation, no freedom”

Who’s Geert Wilders?

The 59-year-old politician is the founding father of Social gathering for Freedom, the third-largest get together within the Netherlands. He has been a frontrunner within the Home of Representatives since 1998 and is commonly referred to as the “Dutch Trump” due to his peroxide platinum hair. However the comparability doesn’t finish at that.

Though he considers himself “right-wing liberal”, he’s identified for his anti-Islam feedback and is reportedly beneath safety due to threats to his life. He claims that after brazenly supporting Sharma, he has as soon as once more acquired “threats from Muslim”.

Like Trump, he’s notorious for his stand towards migrants. The Dutch member of Parliament faces a number of accusations for inciting non secular hated and for his fiery, typically hate-filled speeches.

What are his insurance policies?

The main focus of Wilders’ get together is all issues anti-Muslim. Through the 2017 election, the manifesto included shutting down of mosques and a ban on headscarves in public to “de-Islamise the Netherlands” and “zero asylum seekers and no immigrants anymore from Islamic international locations”.

He referred to as for sealing of Dutch borders to Muslims and pulling the nation out of the European Union (EU).

Nevertheless, he suspended his 2017 marketing campaign after a secret service agent, who was a part of the staff accountable for his safety, was accused of leaking the small print of his cowl to a felony organisation.

After Brexit, he demanded a Dutch referendum on membership to the bloc. He believes the Netherlands has suffered by the hands of a tyrannical EU and out-of-touch political elite.

Muslim youths protest towards far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders in entrance of the Netherlands embassy in Jakarta. He has consistently referred to as for ban on mosques within the Netherlands. AFP

What are his controversial statements?

In 2009, Wilders created a brief movie Fitna, which was a mishmash of photos from 9/11, the Madrid bombings, and phrases from the Quran. It was slammed for being Islamophobic and he was quickly banned from coming into Britain after it aired. In 2012, he went on to write down a ebook, “Marked for Useless: Islam’s Struggle In opposition to the West and Me”, based on a Vox report.

He’s very fashionable within the American far-right circuit. In April 2015, he was invited to talk on the Conservative Alternative Society, a coalition of right-wing politicians in the US Home of Representatives. “There isn’t any reasonable Islam. Islam has modified Europe past recognition,” Wilders had instructed the viewers. “Our obligation is evident: With the intention to remedy the issue, we now have to cease mass immigration to the West from Islamic international locations.”

In one other video, Wilders mentioned, “All of the values Europe stands for — freedom, democracy, human rights — are incompatible with Islam.”

The politician wrote a chunk in Breitbart, the American far-right media publication, through which he spoke about pulling Europe with him to the best. He referred to as for a political revolution in Western Europe the place “out of political-correctness”, leaders “have intentionally turned a blind eye to Islam”.

After he was convicted in a hate speech trial over his promise to scale back the variety of Moroccans within the Netherlands in 2017, he referred to as the “scum”.

“There’s quite a lot of Moroccan scum in Holland who make the streets unsafe,” he mentioned through the election marketing campaign. “If you wish to regain your nation, make the Netherlands for the folks of the Netherlands once more, then you may solely vote for one get together.”

On Twitter, the place Wilders has near 988.6K followers, his fixed demand is: Cease Islam. Final yr, throughout Eid, he tweeted a video which mentioned, “Ramadan, not our tradition, not our historical past, not our future,” “Cease Islamisation,” and “Islam doesn’t belong within the Netherlands”.

Whereas he has typically been in comparison with Trump, what stands out is his lengthy profession in politics. He’s the fourth-longest-serving Dutch parliamentarian.

Political analysts name him a “prototype of a brand new wave of far-right extremist”. “Geert Wilders shouldn’t be claiming to be towards liberal democracy however claims to defend liberal democracy, he claims to defend rights of girls,” Anton Pelinka, a professor of political science and nationalism on the Central European College in Budapest, Hungary instructed Vox. He’s a defender of the rights of gays and lesbians. These are removed from being conventional, right-wing extremist positions.

That mentioned, he stays as controversial as they arrive.

With inputs from businesses

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