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The victory of the Dutch populist radical right party, the Party of Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, reached international headlines and caused a seismic shift in the Dutch political landscape. The success of this politician (comparable to figures such as Milei, Le Pen, and Orban) and his party, (comparable with Alternative for Germany, AfD, and the Austrian People’s Party,ÖVP) is set to have a significant impact on various aspects in the Netherlands including the constitution, social security, women’s rights and democracy itself. Let alone the position of minorities such as Muslims, people of color, LGBTQI+ people, and refugees.
While the fact that approximately 25% of the eligible population voted for the PVV is concerning, more critical issues arise as a result. Other political parties are likely to normaliz collaboration with the PVV to gain power and secure ministerial positions, while, PVV narratives will likely be adopted by other right-wing, center, or even leftist parties to retain voters and parliamentary seats.
Furthermore, with the PVV in power we can expect the populist party’s xenophobic, Islamophobic, and other phobic sentiments to infiltrate our institutions.We would see more and more pace for hate speech, disguised as freedom of speech, or even the assertion, presented as a ‘fact,’ that certain groups are inferior to the majority population of the Netherlands.
We are likely to see the silence, attitude, and trivialisation of the so-called ‘normal’ majority who have failed to advocate for strengthening the position of those people affected by PVV policies, nor have they halted the rampant epidemic of discrimination and stigmatization of the underprivileged in the Netherlands.
If the PVV manages to form a government, a compromise with other parties will be necessary, but it would still advance their ideology and disregard for human rights. This ideological infiltration into our institutions, where policymakers, civil servants, and other employees may be obligated to execute the populist extreme right-wing agenda. This is already evident in cases where individuals are labeled as a menace to society for donating money to a mosque, leading to imprisonment in Spain, as happened last summer to a Moroccan man from Tilburg who was on his way to Morocco. A case where the current Minister of Justice, Dilan Yesilgöz (VVD), did not bother to free the man or remove him from the terrorist suspect list.
The Netherlands’ constitution is at risk, and the belief that a hard-fought constitution cannot be edited or that loopholes won’t be identified for aggressive human rights violations is complacent. Furthermore, the international relations of the Netherlands are at risk if internal policies are translated into international affairs and cause disturbances in the European Union, human rights treaties, and economic positions.
The PVV, along with potential partners VVD (currently being led by Yesilgöz) and CDA (Christian Democrats, officially a center party that is adopting right-wing narratives), poses a public health hazard.
Political scientists have analyzed the impact of PVV, VVD, and CDA on Dutch public health, revealing past cuts in spending on elderly care and mental healthcare, increased out-of-pocket expenditures, and attempts to deny doctors from treating undocumented people.
These parties have also favored the tobacco and gambling industry. The PVV’s application of welfare state chauvinism prioritizes the ethnic population of the Netherlands. This narrative fits those who now suffer from energy poverty, a housing crisis, and increased poverty at a social minimum, which leads to the normalization of xenophobia and enables racist policies in which ‘our own people first’ becomes the standard.
As a Dutch citizen born to Moroccan parents and as a practicing Muslim, I feel severely threatened under the current political shift following the November 22 Parliamentary elections in the Netherlands. This country is already challenging for a woman, a Muslim, and a Moroccan who is outspoken and educated, with daily encounters of racism, stigma, and bullying from fellow citizens and co-workers taking a toll on my mental health and quality of life.
The normalization and acceptance of the PVV’s apartheid-like dream for the Netherlands is upsetting. Expressing these concerns is met with privileged mansplaining and trivialisation of the constant hazard many of us face. These words, published in Morocco World News, will likely receive backlash, with comments suggesting that I should leave the country if I’m dissatisfied, or be forever grateful for being here. It is easy for those unaffected by PVV policies to downplay the situation.
It’s crucial to recognise that when populist radical right parties gain power, it’s not just Dutch Muslims or Moroccans who are at risk but anyone who doesn’t fit the white Eurocentric heteronormative conservative framework. The Netherlands is another case in the Western world facing a populist radical right-wing epidemic. The question remains: Which country is next, and what will the long-term effects of this epidemic be?
