recent context - Anti-Wilders rap-video - Dutch PM intervenes as citizen - antisemtism

Submitted by myth (Germany), Mar 24, 2014 at 05:10

Let me put the reaction of Dutch media into context regarding recent events as I follow them through the Dutch evening news. Wilders' party the PVV has been portrayed as an anti-EU opposition rather than an anti-islam movement in the Dutch news for a while now. On the subject Wilders changed tactics and made advances to Mme LePen (Front National/France) and Mr DeWinter (Vlaams Belang, Belgium) in order to organise an anti-EU alliance within the EU-parliament.

Recently the focus returned to the subject of Islam. Lebanese-Dutch Rapper Hozny released an anti-Wilders video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzyFCaqjjuE

The end of this video suggests Wilders to be killed by a shot in the head. Hozny does however (in this video) condemn the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh and sports Dutch flag patches on the military jacket he's wearing. Politicians up to the Dutch PM reacted and expressed their disgust.

Wilders himself called for prosecution of the rapper. Days later he asked his audience in The Hague "do you want more or less moroccans".

This is when a novelty occured. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte still works as a part time teacher in The Hague.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Rutte#Personal_life

For the first time he reacted as a citizen on Dutch TV, not as Prime Minister. He said that some of the children he teaches were scared by Wilders' statements. He had to rectify the situation as a teacher and citizen.

Subsequently some high profile members of Wilders' PVV party stepped back from their offices.

The public directed protests against Wilders. The Dutch evening news "NOS Journaal" reported these protests. In the podcast-news-edition of "NOS Journaal" 22.03.2014 20:00 8min02sec into the episode you see a group of protestors. At the left end of the picture, only for a short time, you see a banner reading "(black on white) Wilders hond van (red on white) Israel" meaning "(black on white) Wilders dog of (red on white) Israel".

Here's my comments on the sequence of events:

The Meeus article wants to align Dr Pipes' criticism with prominent party members leaving the PVV.

The shooting of Wilders in the rap-video resonates with the choice of words in the article. "geldschieter", literally translated as money-shooter.

The subject of anti-semitism is visually present in the public. The press do not address it. Personally I taste some anti-semitic undertone in Meuus' article. When Meeus writes "american friends" I understand that the somewhat inapproriate and intangible word "friends" intends to charm an anti-semitic audience suggesting Wilders has access to some Jewish-conspiracy money.

Mark Rutte reacting as citizen marks an emotional change in the political status-quo in NL.

Today The Hague hosts a nuclear submit with many world leaders present lasting for a week. I wonder wether Wilders wants to use this potential worldwide publicity to forward his agenda.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".