The Adolfo-Wilders come to power in Europe The shadow of fascism over the Old World

The Freedom Party (PVV), led by right-wing politician Geert Wilders, who is particularly known for his radical anti-Islamic views, categorical beliefs against immigration and the country's membership in the EU, has won the Dutch parliamentary elections. According to preliminary voting results released by NOS television on Nov. 23, a 98 per cent tally gives Wilders' party 37 seats in parliament out of 150. The Dutch Electoral Council is expected to announce the final election results on December 1.

Meanwhile, if we consider Wilders' success from an ideological point of view, it becomes obvious that his victory revealed not only the growing popularity of right-wing and far-right parties but also clearly confirmed that the blossoming of fascist forces in Europe is already a fait accompli.

And there are many such examples in European politics. Judge for yourself. In Finland, after three months of negotiations, the far-right nationalist party “True Finns” entered the coalition government, and in Sweden, the Sweden Democrats party, which opposes immigration and multiculturalism, is the second largest party in the parliament of this country.

In June of this year, three far-right parties won a significant number of seats in the Greek parliament, and in Spain this summer, in regional elections, success was accompanied by the nationalist Vox party, which is considered the first far-right since the death of fascist dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.

Moreover, it is obvious that the trend towards the strengthening of neo-fascists in Europe will continue in Germany, where in regional elections and federal public opinion polls the right/far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD), founded on February 6, 2013, ranks second, and in some federal states - even first places.

According to public opinion data conducted by the research institute Infratest dimap for the ARD television channel, the popularity rating of the Alternative for Germany party reached 23 per cent

This is the highest figure that the AfD has shown in the entire history of Infratest dimap surveys. It is probably unnecessary to remind you that the Alternative for Germany is distinguished by its harsh and unfounded criticism of Islam. Here is one example confirming this fact. According to the Associated Press, in September 2017, the leaders of the Alternative for Germany party proposed a number of measures aimed against the “Islamization of Germany.”

At a press conference in Berlin, the deputy chairman of this party, Alexander Gauland, even stated that “Islam is a political doctrine that is incompatible with a free democratic system,” and that, in this sense, Islam is not part of Germany.

Unfortunately, this list of facts indicating the rise of neo-fascism in Europe could be continued. The conclusion is that at the root of Eurocentrism and the "European integration" attached to it lies the modern reincarnation of European fascism and the "crusader" ideology deeply rooted in the European elites, which rejects Muslim societies.

Fraternal Türkiye, which has been excluded from the EU for so many years now, is a prime example of this. Neo-fascism is on the rise throughout the Old World, otherwise, politicians like Wilders would hardly be able to win elections. So they have a solid electoral resource. And that's clearly saying something, too. That is, ultra-nationalists and neo-fascists in European societies themselves bring the "brown people" to power. By the way, we know from the sad experience of the past that Adolf Hitler also came to power through elections.

However, let's return to the parliamentary elections in the Netherlands, and more precisely, to the personality of Wilders. We should immediately note that the Dutch political system is organized in such a way that even if the far-right party wins the elections, it does not guarantee Wilders the prime minister's chair. But the fact remains that Wilders enjoys the support of a significant part of the Dutch population. As mentioned above, Geert Wilders is known for his caustic anti-Islamic statements and scandalous short film "Fitna", released in March 2008.

To recall, this film quoted five sutras of the Quran and showed videos of Islamist terrorist acts and interviews. As a result, most politicians in the Netherlands called the movie a provocation, and Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan staged mass protests in which Dutch flags were burned. Following the high-profile protests, as early as June 2008, Wilders was accused of inciting ethnic hatred and offending the feelings of Muslims.

It is also known that Wilders is an ardent supporter of reducing the flow of migration, and in this regard, already in the first years of his appearance in parliament, he repeatedly criticized the Dutch government on the issue of migrants from Muslim countries.

He gained particular fame as a fierce critic of Islam after the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001. Even then, he called Islam a “terrorist and flawed religion,” and compared the Quran to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

According to Wilders, Muslims must “throw away half the Quran” in order to have the right to continue living in the Netherlands. The “far-sighted” Dutchman demanded a ban on the construction of new mosques and religious schools, frightening the population by saying that in a few decades in Europe and the Netherlands, Muslims would make up the majority of the population.

Therefore, during all his election campaigns, he promised that if he became prime minister, he would close the borders to Muslim immigrants, ban the sale of the Koran and close mosques. At the same time, Wilders did not hesitate to initiate a competition of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

By the way, he had to cancel a cartoon contest on the Prophet Muhammad that he had announced because of protests in Pakistan. That didn't stop him from criticizing Pakistan in particular and Islam in general.

“Islam has once again shown its true colours through death threats, fatwas and violence,” he tweeted after announcing the cancellation of the competition. At the same time, Wilders voiced absurd statements that Pakistan is supposedly a “100% terrorist state.”

Wilders also allowed himself wild antics, absolutely unacceptable for any respectable politician, statements and caricatures addressed to Türkiye and its President Erdogan. In response, Turkish prosecutors opened an investigation into Wilders in October 2020 and February 2021.

By the way, what kind of Islamophobe is there without aspirations towards the Armenians? Wilders is no exception here. He publicly stated his position in October 2020 during the 44-day war.

“I will always support my Armenian Christian friends against the brutal Islamic barbarism of Azerbaijan,” he wrote on his Twitter page at the time.

Considering this attitude of one of the main politicians of the Netherlands, it is no wonder that the country itself takes an openly biased position towards Azerbaijan. Thus, last month the House of Representatives of the Netherlands adopted an appeal for military support for Armenia.

Even earlier - in December 2020 - the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry called on the Dutch parliament to stop stirring up hostility in the region in connection with the adoption by the parliament of this country of unilateral, biased resolutions against us. And, please note, as many as 11 of them were accepted.

Of course, it makes no sense to expect adequate policies from a state where society nominates an adherent of fascist ideology like Wilders to the main roles. On the other hand, as historical experience again shows, those who brought such politicians to power will suffer from the actions of the fascists in the first place. And we - Azerbaijan, brotherly Türkiye, Pakistan, and the Turkic states will continue to strengthen cooperation.