The rise in popularity and support for an anti-Islamic political party in Holland

Well below the radar screen of most of the major media outlets in America, the people of Holland recently went to the polls after the government there collapsed in February in a spat over military aid to Afghanistan. While Sec of Defense Robert Gates was in Brussels on Wednesday asking for more European countries to help train Afghani security forces, the people of Holland, showed that they are not willing to fund a never-ending war in the face of the severe economic downturn and the decline of the Euro. The surge in popularity of a anti-Islamic political party, Party for Freedom (PVV) in addition to the high cost of sending members of its military to Afghanistan, were perhaps some of the reasons why the press in America did not report on the story.

To put the Netherlands in perspective, according to the Economist Magazine Intelligence Unit’s 2008 democracy Index, the Netherlands was ranked as the fourth most democratic country in the world. In the annual press freedom index report by Reporters Without Borders, the Netherlands was ranked as the 17th most free, while it was considered the seventh least corrupt country in the world.

The scant coverage of the election in Holland further supports the argument of how the mainstream media in America enables the political elites in Washington to continue an unpopular war due to the two party system in America compared to the Parliamentary system in the Netherlands. Contrary to how the mainstream media portrays the war in Afghanistan, similar to the people of Holland, recent polls in America, such as a recent poll conducted by the Washington Post and ABC News, finds a majority of Americans who do not support the war. Unfortunately, as the recent primary elections demonstrated in America, the only choice an American voter has is to support either a politician that supports the troops, or a politician that supports the war.

The most interesting aspect of the recent election in the Netherlands that is gaining the most attention, is the rise in popularity and support for an anti-Islamic political party, Party for Freedom (PVV). This political party demands an end to immigration from Muslim countries and a ban on new mosques. Due to the global downturn in the economy and a typical reaction to foreigners in a country during tough economic times, the Party for Freedom (PVV) gained an increase of seats in the 150 seat Parliament from nine in the last parliament election to 23.

The maverick leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV), Geert Wilders, has earned notoriety around the world with his campaign to ban the Koran in a bid to "stop the Islamisation of the Netherlands". Making any conservative political movement in America look like a liberal party in the Netherlands, Geert Wilders, has called Islam a fascist religion and likens the Koran to Hitler's "Mein Kampf". He is widely known in Europe for his 17-minute commentary, "Fitna", which was termed "offensively anti-Islamic" by UN chief Ban Ki-moon. He goes on trial in the Netherlands in October on charges of inciting racial hatred against Muslims. He was barred from entering Britain in 2009, in order to stop him spreading "hatred and violent messages."


Like the recent election in Great Britain, due to the way Parliamentary systems form governments, the anti-Muslim Party for Freedom cannot be ignored. As in Great Britain, where the conservative Torries had to agree to form a government with the progressive Liberal Democrats, either the more centrist Liberal party (VVD) or the Labour party (PvdA) who each have 31 seats each in the 150-seat parliament, will have to form some kind of agreement with the anti-Muslim Party for Freedom reviewing election results from the other political parties, it appears most of the support for the Party for Freedom came from the Socialist Party, which saw it go from 25 seats in Parliament to 15. Of the other parties, the Greens got 10 seats (up from seven), the centrist D66 improved from three to ten seats, and the Christian Union earned five seats, one down from the last election.

The latest election in the Netherlands is further proof of how a Parliamentary type of government can be more pluralistic and dynamic.