Latest news with #anti-Islam
The Sun
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson pleads not guilty to harassment
LONDON: British far-right activist Tommy Robinson pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of harassing two journalists, as dozens of supporters gathered outside the London court just days after he was freed from jail. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, 42, pleaded not guilty at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court to two counts of harassment causing fear of violence. He was given the option of a hearing at a lower court, but instead opted for a jury trial at a criminal court. The firebrand anti-Islam campaigner is accused of harassing two Daily Mail journalists, Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber, via his popular X account in August 2024. The prosecutor acknowledged however that the harassment did not contain 'direct threats of violence'. Robinson, who was wearing a cream jacket and jeans, was released on bail and is due to appear at Southwark Crown Court in London on July 3. He has become a champion for far-right and anti-immigrant factions despite several run-ins with the law. On May 27 he was released after spending seven months in prison for breaching a court order barring him from repeating false allegations he had made about a Syrian refugee. On leaving jail, he thanked technology billionaire Elon Musk for his X platform and slammed the UK government in a social media video. After the hearing Thursday he was met with dozens of supporters chanting his name and cheering at the central London court. Many wore Donald Trump-inspired MEGA -- Make England Great Again -- hats, carried English flags and wore 'Free Tommy Robinson' T-shirts. The former football hooligan, who founded the far-right English Defence League in 2009, has repeatedly been convicted for public order and contempt offences. He has also been blamed for helping fuel the country's worst riots in years in 2024, which he denies.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
White House backs Dutch far-right leader after government falls
The White House offered tacit support to far-right leader Geert Wilders Wednesday after the fall of the Dutch government, saying that the Netherlands faced "serious threats" from migration. US President Donald Trump backed leaders who "protect their sovereignty and national identity", a White House official said when asked for the administration's response to Wilders pulling out of a shaky coalition in a row over immigration policy. Wilders -- who has been dubbed the "Dutch Trump" for his bouffant blond locks and firebrand rhetoric -- is known for his anti-Islam, anti-immigrant and anti-EU message. "The Netherlands, like many countries in Europe, is facing serious threats related to open borders policies and illegal migration. Leaders who fight to put their citizens first and secure their nation's future should be commended," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP. The Trump administration has led an immigration crackdown at home and has pushed European countries to follow its lead. US Vice President JD Vance, for example, voiced support for the far-right ultra-nationalist German AfD party. "President Trump's message to our allies has been clear on this topic," the White House official added. "European leaders should work to protect their sovereignty and national identity by prioritizing strong borders and tackling illegal migration -- just as we are here in the United States." Trump is set to visit the Netherlands, which is now in political crisis mode, later this month for a NATO summit. Wilders's far-right Freedom Party (PVV) won a shock victory in Dutch elections in 2023, but his partners in the shaky four-party coalition government that emerged blocked him from becoming prime minister. On Tuesday, Wilders pulled out of the coalition after complaining that it was too slow to push through a strict new immigration policy -- meaning new elections are likely, which would give him another shot at the top job. The Dutch politician has toned down some of his rhetoric but remains a controversial figure. From calling Moroccans "scum" to holding competitions for cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, Wilders has built a career from his self-appointed mission to stop an "Islamic invasion" of Western Europe. dk/aha
New European
6 days ago
- Business
- New European
Geert Wilders: the fall of an extremist
Wilders has long been at odds with the government that he helped form, after his party, the PVV, won elections in 2023. On several occasions he clashed publicly and spectacularly with Dick Schoof, the non-party-aligned prime minister. And last week he presented the cabinet with a list of demands on asylum that even anti-immigration media outlets thought were unrealistic. The bizarre, 11-month-long sock puppet show that called itself the government of the Netherlands has come to an end, thanks to the puppet master himself. Geert Wilders, the 62-year-old, far-right anti-Islam Dutch leader, has pulled his party out of the ruling coalition, saying he now wants to be prime minister himself. But with elections scheduled for the autumn, he could end up frozen out of power. Schoof, now caretaker prime minister, labelled Wilders's withdrawal from the coalition 'unnecessary and irresponsible' during a debate in parliament on Wednesday. While the outgoing prime minister is unlikely to play a role in the upcoming campaign, his remarks signal a line of attack on Wilders that the other parties have already taken up. This is now the second time that Wilders has brought down a government dominated by the right, the type of government he has always said he wanted for the Netherlands. Former prime minister Mark Rutte called Wilders a 'quitter politician' in 2012, after the far-right frontman withdrew support for the minority government he was leading at the time. In the subsequent elections, the PVV paid a heavy price, and the party was left out in the cold for over a decade. The other parties are bound to highlight Wilders's apparent unreliability to end his dream of leading the country – for good this time. The fractious coalition between the PVV and three more centrist right-wing parties managed to last for almost a year, but the end was never far away. Three of the four parties, the PVV, the farmers' party BBB, and a largely Christian Democrat offshoot, NSC, had no previous government experience, and neither did Schoof. From the start, negotiators were hit by ethics scandals, as were ministerial candidates. Trust and approval ratings among the electorate were low almost from the start. In contrast to some other right-wing European leaders, such as Giorgia Meloni in Italy and lately Bart de Wever in Belgium, the PVV-led coalition was never able to project competence, or stability. Rumours abounded in The Hague about the inefficient and unprofessional ways in which ministers ran their departments. Suggested Reading The right spells trouble for von der Leyen Ferry Biedermann Beside inexperience, the root cause of public disenchantment, and falling PVV polling numbers, might well have been the string of unrealistic promises the party made. In quitting the coalition, Wilders made much of the government's inability to fulfil his election promise of an 'emergency law' to limit asylum seekers. Instead, the government worked on a 'fast-track' law that complied with Dutch and EU rules. On other key issues, such as easing the increasingly onerous nitrogen requirements for Dutch farmers, the coalition saw its approach blocked by the courts that forced it to stick to European targets. On broadly supported socio-economic initiatives, such as free childcare, the coalition ran into logistical and budgetary constraints. In the end, Wilders was unable to make the transition from firebrand opposition leader to responsible statesman. He did, as demanded by his coalition partners, damp down his anti-Islam rhetoric while the PVV was in power. Wilders has been living under police protection and in safe houses since 2004, after receiving death threats following some of his remarks on Islam. Asked during the parliamentary debate on the fall of the coalition whether he would now resume his diatribes against Islam, he said it had not been foremost on his mind. The question is whether Wilders will continue in his more moderate guise, in order to maintain his viability as a future coalition partner. But this seems unlikely and unnecessary. His current coalition partners had no issue doing business with him after the previous campaign, in which he was clear about wanting 'less Islam' in the Netherlands. And voters rewarded him by making the PVV the largest party. Despite the decline in the polls, there is no reason why he shouldn't be able to repeat that feat in the upcoming elections. While many might blame him for bringing down the most right-wing government since the end of the Second World War, his base might applaud him for putting a clearly outmatched team out of its misery. Still, other movements in the polls, particularly the revival of the Christian Democrats, could mean he'll be left without coalition partners. While Wilders could triumph once again, his path to power might well be blocked.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Germany's far-right AfD tells lawmaker to delete Islamophobic post
A lawmaker of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was told by the party's leadership to delete a "completely unacceptable" Islamophobic post, a spokesman confirmed on Wednesday. Nicole Höchst, who leads the AfD's religious policy working group in the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, posted an image on social media platform X depicting two men in traditional Arabic clothing standing next to a trailer on the edge of a field. The image was captioned: "To all Muslims in Germany: Whatever you eat... It's fertilised with pig shit..." in an apparent reference to the Muslim ban on eating pork. The post also included a photo of the lawmaker and the words "Nicole Höchst, Member of the Bundestag." Following instructions by AfD party leaders Timo Chrupalla and Alice Weidel, Höchst deleted the post on Tuesday afternoon, according to the spokesman. "The post is completely unacceptable and was deleted upon request by the parliamentary group leaders," he told Germany's Bild tabloid. Höchst has so far not responded to requests for comment, but her office said a statement would be published on Wednesday. The anti-Islam AfD is the strongest opposition force in parliament after coming second in February's elections. The party has campaigned for a strict crackdown on migration and is being monitored as a suspected far-right extremist group by domestic intelligence.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Dutch government has collapsed. What happens next?
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch opposition parties called Wednesday for fresh elections as soon as possible, a day after anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders sparked the collapse of the country's four-party coalition government. Prime Minister Dick Schoof's 11-month-old administration fell apart when Wilders withdrew his Party for Freedom ministers. Schoof and the ministers of three remaining parties remain in power as a caretaker Cabinet. The government, with limited powers, now has to lead the country for months before new elections and during what could — again — be protracted talks to cobble together a new coalition in the fragmented Dutch political landscape after the vote. Lawmakers can declare some policy areas 'controversial' during the caretaker period. That restricts the government from taking concrete action on those issues. What happens now? The Dutch electoral commission will schedule a general election for all 150 seats in the Second Chamber of parliament. It is very unlikely to happen before the fall because of a parliamentary recess that starts July 4 and runs to Sept. 1 and that will be followed by several weeks of campaigning. What does Schoof want? In a statement to lawmakers, Schoof said he wants to keep control, even in caretaker mode, of vital policies over the coming months. 'As far as I'm concerned, it's about security, both nationally and internationally, including support for Ukraine and everything that's needed for defense," he said. He also wants to be able to act on the economy, including the global trade war unleashed since the start of U.S. President Donald Trump's second term, "because that can have a direct effect on the Dutch economy and on our business community.' But Schoof acknowledged that some other policies will be put on ice until there is a new coalition. 'The last thing we want now is postponement, but it is unavoidable in some cases,' he said. What do opposition lawmakers want? They want to go to the polls. 'I hope we can organize elections as quickly as possible, in the shortest possible time,' said Frans Timmermans, the former European Commissioner who now leads a two-party, center-left bloc. Timmerman's bloc of the Labor Party and Green Left is challenging Wilders' party for top spot in Dutch polls. Wilders won the last elections in November 2023. Lawmakers used Wednesday's debate to attack Wilders for failing to make good while in office on his 2023 election pledges — in what sounded like a proxy electoral debate. 'You turned your back on these people,' Jimmy Dijk of the Socialist Party said, suggesting that Wilders apologize to his voters. And it's not just the opposition that wants elections. Wilders also is looking forward to campaigning. 'Let's go back to the voter,' he said. What about the NATO summit and support for Ukraine? The government remains committed to hosting the meeting of government leaders from the NATO alliance in The Hague later this month. Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp took to X soon after the administration's collapse to stress that the meeting will go ahead despite the political turmoil. 'We remain fully committed to organising the #NATOsummit in The Hague. We look forward to welcoming all NATO Allies on 24 June,' he wrote. He also said the Netherlands will continue to support Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression. The Netherlands has provided key arms to Kyiv, including F-16 fighter jets. 'We remain committed to European cooperation and security. Dutch support for Ukraine is a key part of that,' he wrote. Mike Corder, The Associated Press
