The European parliamentary elections have been taking place over the past few days, country-by-country. The results will be announced later today, after the last nations (I think I can still use that word) have finished voting.
The Netherlands voted on Thursday, and exit polls indicate that the Freedom Party, the anti-immigration party led by Geert Wilders, did quite well. According to the polls, Wilders’ party is on course to win four of the 25 Dutch seats in the parliament. This would place it second only to the ruling Christian Democrats.
Readers may recall that Wilders produced the flim “Fitna.” Because of the views he expressed therein and elsewhere, Great Britain banned him from entering in February of this year. Wilders, a strong supporter of Israel, campaigned on an anti-EU platform and opposed Turkey’s bid to join the EU.
Here (via Gates of Vienna) is what Wilders had to say about his apparent electoral success; judge for yourself whether this a beyond-the-pale right-winger who deserved to be banned in Britain:
The preliminary results are in and are stunning. For the first time the PVV joins these elections, and right away the first strike is a blow. It is not the official results, however, but a forecast. But the beginning is here: FOUR SEATS!
This is great news for the Netherlands. This is great news for people who are sick and tired of the European superstate, who are tired of this Balkenende/Bos government. People who get nothing for nothing, ordinary Dutch people who have to work hard for their money. They want their children to grow up in a Dutch Netherlands. And this is good news for all those Europeans who love Europe — but horrified of Eurabia and horrified by the European superstate that costs us billions a year.
It is also good news for the Party for Freedom. The first time we have participated, and then this result. It seems that we have become the second party of the Netherlands and larger than the PvdA [Socialists, government party] and larger than the VVD [center-right]. Folks, in one word: Super! Super, also for the Netherlands.
But it would even be better for the Netherlands if the Balkenende/Bos cabinet draws the conclusion it should, and that is to resign, leave and never come back again.
I dedicate this enormous success to all the volunteers, to all those hard workers, to all those thousands of Dutch people who went door to door with leaflets and pasted up posters and gave money to the one party that does not receive any subsidy. Folks, this is your success, this is your party.
Tonight it is D-Day. Tonight, our PVV-ers arrived at the beach, ready to fight. Ready to break through the left-wing cordon sanitaire. Today, the Party for Freedom found solid ground under its feet. Not only here in The Hague [Dutch parliament], but also in Brussels. This is an important next step. But I promise you: the best part is still to come.
The Netherlands is waking up from a long leftist nightmare. A nightmare of crazy high taxes, crime, lousy care, headscarves and burkas, of pauperizing, of mass immigration and Islamization.
The Party for Freedom has rolled up its sleeves. We are ready. Our engine is warmed up. Friends, a turbo is on it. We will really start rolling now.
Tonight we’ll have a beer, but tomorrow the fight will continue all over again!
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