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LeMonde
2 hours ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
The far-right's blackmail in the Netherlands provides a lesson for Europe
When former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte left the office he had occupied for nearly 14 years in July 2024, he spoke of the "excellent Dutch tradition of consultation and intelligent compromises." Did he really believe his own words, given that it had taken more than seven months for four parties, including his own, to agree on a government program heavily shaped by the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, the winner of the November 2023 elections? From 2010-2012, Rutte had briefly attempted to govern with the outside support of the populist and xenophobic leader. He concluded from that experience that any future alliance with Wilders would be impossible. Yet, it was the same Rutte who, in July 2023, paved the way for the PVV's victory. By introducing restrictions on family reunification for refugees, the liberal leader hastened the fall of his last coalition government and, at the same time, lent legitimacy to Wilders's rhetoric about an "asylum tsunami." Other conservative leaders later went further, including Dilan Yesilgöz, who succeeded Rutte as the head of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD, liberal). Adopting the PVV's language on immigration, she also said that, in her opinion, the party was a legitimate political partner. This triggered a shift of 20% of her electorate, suddenly emboldened, to the far right. Naive, reckless or blind, the leaders of the Farmers and Citizens Movement and the New Social Contract party, the PVV's coalition partners in the government painfully formed on July 2, 2024, also felt they had no choice but to negotiate with the far-right party, since it had won 23.5% of the vote in the 2023 legislative elections. The former wanted to defend farmers threatened by plans to cut harmful greenhouse gas emissions and reduce farm sizes; the latter were counting on reforming the country's governance. Resembling a state of emergency The failure of all involved was complete, with polls even predicting their disappearance. By bringing down the government on Tuesday, June 3, Wilders held his former partners responsible for his own impotence and that of a coalition in which mistrust reigned supreme.
News18
3 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
Influencer Sharmishta Panoli Walks Out Of Jail After Calcutta HC Grants Bail
Last Updated: The 22-year-old Kolkata-based influencer and law student was arrested on May 31 from Haryana's Gurugram for communal remarks allegedly against Operation Sindoor. Social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli on Friday walked out of jail a day after Calcutta High Court granted her interim bail in a case involving alleged communal remarks linked to Operation Sindoor made in a video . The 22-year-old Kolkata-based influencer and law student was arrested on May 31 from Haryana's Gurugram for communal remarks she made against a post that questioned India's military strike after the Pahalgam terror attack. She was brought to Kolkata on a transit remand and placed in judicial custody till June 13. Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury of the Calcutta High Court granted her interim bail on a personal bond of Rs 10,000, observing that the complaint against her did not disclose any cognisable offence. While delivering the order, Justice Chowdhury stated that the arrest warrant had been issued 'mechanically" and noted that there was no need to keep her in custody for interrogation. 'The arrest warrant was issued mechanically. The accused is a law student, and there is no need to keep her in custody for interrogation," Justice Chowdhury said. Her arrest also sparked widespread reactions on social media and sparked a political row, with several leaders condemning the move and criticising the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government. She even received support from Geert Wilders, a member of the Dutch Parliament and the leader of the right-wing Party for Freedom, who said the influencer's arrest is a 'disgrace for freedom of speech". Meanwhile, Kolkata Police also filed a case against Wajahat Khan Qadri, the man whose complaint led to the arrest of Panoli. The man is facing arrest and is on the run. An Assam Police team reached Kolkata with an arrest warrant for Qadri. The Assam Police filed a case against him earlier this week for posting content on social media that contained hate speech and derogatory remarks, which hurt religious sentiments. (With inputs from agencies)
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dutch government in turmoil: What to know
The governing coalition in the Netherlands collapsed Tuesday after Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders withdrew his populist Party for Freedom (PVV)'s ministers — escalating an ongoing dispute over the country's immigration and asylum policies. 'I worked hard for 25 years to establish the PVV and make it a major party, so I'm not standing here as someone who had a good day today,' Wilders told Dutch news outlet GeenStijl in a translated interview late Tuesday. 'But it is the best choice, because I'm here for the Dutch, and I also hope that the Dutch people understand why I did this.' The Netherlands will now have a temporary caretaker government, which is expected to be in place when The Hauge hosts the NATO summit in three weeks. Wilders, 61, has long voiced anti-immigration and particularly anti-Muslim positions. Muslims make up about 5 percent of the nearly 18 million people in the Netherlands. The PVV, which has called for banning the Quran and shuttering mosques, won the largest number of seats in the 150-member Dutch Parliament in a November 2023 snap election amid growing concerns about migration. Wilders, who has called for banning asylum-seekers, cited inaction from other parties on tougher immigration policies for the abrupt withdrawal Tuesday. 'We voted for the PVV by 2.5 million people to achieve the strictest asylum policy ever,' he said in the GeenStijl interview. 'These are measures that are desperately needed and that are definitely not in the government's plans.' Prime Minister Dick Schoof, an independent who has been leading the government for less than a year, called the PVV's withdrawal and ensuing government collapse 'unnecessary and irresponsible' in a statement after Wilders's unexpected announcement. 'For many months the government has worked hard to implement (an agreement), but if one party lacks the will to continue, it isn't possible to keep working together,' Schoof wrote. But Wilders accused the opposing parties of stalling and highlighted asylum approaches in neighboring countries such as Germany that had taken place in the meantime. 'If we had not done this, if we had continued while all our neighboring countries were introducing stricter measures, which would make people come to the Netherlands more … where would you go as an asylum-seeker? You would come to us sooner,' the far-right leader said. 'If we had continued with this, then there would hardly have been anything left of the Netherlands.' He also stressed his message with multiple posts on the social platform X, highlighting crime and his calls for asylum restrictions. 'We had no choice. I promised the voter the strictest asylum policy ever, but that was not granted to you,' he said in one post translated from Dutch. The Dutch government will be run under a restricted 'caretaker administration' for several months until elections can be held for a formal overhaul. Leaders have called for elections to take place as soon as possible, but it's unlikely they will happen before October. Schoof plans to remain in the caretaker government until the elections, he said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed to reporters during Tuesday's press briefing that President Trump plans to attend the NATO summit scheduled later this month in The Hague. The formation of a caretaker government and restrictions it faces means the Netherlands won't be able to formally address Trump's calls for other NATO countries to increase their defense spending ahead of the summit. The country currently spends about 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense — well below the 5 percent Trump has advocated for across-the-board. Wilders has been nicknamed the 'Dutch Trump,' and many supporters of the U.S. president have backed his populism and hard-line immigration views. Meanwhile, Trump has been at odds with European allies over Ukraine's future amid its ongoing war with Russia and the Ukrainian government's eyes on joining NATO. Trump also has rankled NATO allies with aggressive suggestions about taking over Greenland and pursuing Canada to become the U.S.'s 51st state. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Dutch government in turmoil: What to know
The governing coalition in the Netherlands collapsed Tuesday after Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders withdrew his populist Party for Freedom (PVV)'s ministers — escalating an ongoing dispute over the country's immigration and asylum policies. 'I worked hard for 25 years to establish the PVV and make it a major party, so I'm not standing here as someone who had a good day today,' Wilders told Dutch news outlet GeenStijl in a translated interview late Tuesday. 'But it is the best choice because I'm here for the Dutch, and I also hope that the Dutch people understand why I did this.' The Netherlands will now have a temporary caretaker government, which is expected to be in place when The Hauge hosts the NATO summit in three weeks. Wilders, 61, has long voiced anti-immigration and particularly anti-Muslim positions. Muslims make up about 5 percent of the nearly 18 million people in the Netherlands. The PVV, which has called for banning the Quran and shuttering mosques, won the largest number of seats in the 150-member Dutch Parliament in a November 2023 snap election amid growing concerns about migration. Wilders, who has called for banning asylum seekers, cited inaction from other parties on tougher immigration policies for the abrupt withdrawal Tuesday. 'We voted for the PVV by 2.5 million people to achieve the strictest asylum policy ever,' he said in the GeenStijl interview. 'These are measures that are desperately needed and that are definitely not in the government's plans.' Prime Minister Dick Schoof, an independent who has been leading the government for less than a year, called the PVV's withdrawal and ensuing government collapse 'unnecessary and irresponsible' in a statement after Wilders's unexpected announcement. 'For many months the government has worked hard to implement (an agreement), but if one party lacks the will to continue, it isn't possible to keep working together,' Schoof wrote. But Wilders accused the opposing parties of stalling and highlighted asylum approaches in neighboring countries like Germany that had taken place in the meantime. 'If we had not done this, if we had continued while all our neighboring countries were introducing stricter measures, which would make people come to the Netherlands more … Where would you go as an asylum seeker? You would come to us sooner,' the far-right leader said. 'If we had continued with this then there would hardly have been anything left of the Netherlands.' He also stressed his message with multiple posts on the social media platform X, highlighting crime and his calls for asylum restrictions. 'We had no choice. I promised the voter the strictest asylum policy ever, but that was not granted to you,' he said in one post translated from Dutch. The Dutch government will be run under a restricted 'caretaker administration' for several months until elections can be held for a formal overhaul. Leaders have called for elections to take place as soon as possible, but it's unlikely they will happen before October. Schoof plans to remain in the caretaker government until the elections, he said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed to reporters during Tuesday's press briefing that President Trump plans to attend the NATO summit scheduled later this month in The Hague. The formation of a caretaker government and restrictions it faces means that the Netherlands won't be able to formally address Trump's calls for other NATO countries to increase their defense spending ahead of the summit. The country currently spends about 2 percent of its GDP on defense — well below the 5 percent Trump has advocated across-the-board. Wilders has been nicknamed the 'Dutch Trump,' and many supporters of the U.S. president have backed his populist and immigration hardline views. Meanwhile, Trump has been at odds with European allies over Ukraine's future amid its ongoing war with Russia and the Ukrainian government's eyes on joining NATO. Trump also has rankled NATO allies with aggressive suggestions about taking over Greenland and pursuing Canada to become the U.S.'s 51st state.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dutch king accepts government's resignation after Wilders withdrawal
Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Wednesday accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Dick Schoof, while asking him to remain in office in a caretaker capacity. "After all, life goes on in the Netherlands and abroad, and decisions have to be taken that cannot be postponed," Schoof told parliament in The Hague. The collapse of the unwieldy four-party coalition came after right-wing populist Geert Wilders withdrew his members from the Cabinet in a conflict over migration. Wilders' Party for Freedom (PVV) formed the largest group in parliament after the party emerged victorious in the November 2023 elections. But PVV ministers and state secretaries have now withdrawn from Schoof's cabinet. Wilders' move came in for strong criticism in parliament from the coalition parties and from the opposition. "In my view, the fall of this government was unnecessary and irresponsible," Schoof, an independent, said. "We face large challenges nationally and internationally, and more than ever, decisiveness is required," he added. He said he would continue to conduct government business with the remaining three parties until fresh elections, which are expected in October or November. A date is likely to be set on Thursday. For his part, Wilders accused his former coalition partners of blocking his migration policies. "We want a complete halt to asylum, We want intensive border controls. We want every – truly every – asylum seeker to be turned back at the border," he said. "And that has to happen immediately," Wilders added. He said his party no longer wished to bear responsibility for what he described as "the demise of the Netherlands."
