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Friday, 30 April 2010
Wilders Launches Freedom Party Parliamentary Campaign in The Netherlands in the midst of his political Trial
  Geert Wilders launched the PVV (Freedom Party) campaign for the upcoming June 9th Hague Parliamentary elections on April 26th with a speech in the port City of Rotterdam – symbol of anti-Islamization given the assassination of the late Dutch politician and Mayor, Pim Fortuyn. Baron Bodissey at The Gates of Vienna (TGOA) website has the translation of the PVV manifesto., “A Sandwich with a Spine”. A De Telegraaf report cited by TGOA noted the symbolism in its coverage:“Here in Rotterdam we plant our flag and begin the reconquest of the Netherlands.” Geert Wilders had a clear message on Monday evening in Rotterdam at the start of his Party for Freedom’s campaign for the parliamentary elections on June 9. He deliberately chose Rotterdam, the city of Pim Fortuyn, “the man who paid with his life for his ideals.”
Wilders again indicated that he wants to govern. “The Netherlands needs a strong PVV that can put affairs in order.” And: “Without the PVV in a new government, the Netherlands will descend further into a morass of politically correct inaction, and the problems will not be solved but only worsen.” According to Wilders, the CDA [Christian Democrats], PvdA [Labour, Socialists] and VVD [Center-Right Liberals] have made an ever bigger mess of it in recent decades when they governed. The PVV leader warned his supporters that a vote for VVD leader Mark Rutte or CDA leader Jan Peter Balkenende might just as well be a vote for Job Cohen (PvdA) and Alexander Pechtold (D66). Wilders especially turned against Cohen, leader of the PvdA, whom he blamed for having no spine. The red flag that characterizes the Labour Party has made way for a red carpet being rolled out for Islam and mass immigration, according to the PVV leader. The PVV chooses optimism and hope, he said. “We are hard where needed, and soft where possible.” Opposite Islam the PVV places “our identity” and “opposite Job Cohen more security and less immigration,” he said. A relaxed Wilders on stage had short conversations with candidates on the list. He sat on a bar stool in front of an audience of about two hundred interested people who later were able to put forward their questions in conversations with the candidates. Afterwards Wilders’ sympathizers queued to have their picture taken with Wilders and to have a short talk. In the run-up to the June general elections all the parties have now presented their election manifestos. Bringing up the rear is right-wing populist Geert Wilders. Mr Wilders used his launch party in Rotterdam on Monday evening to lay into his biggest opponent, Labour Party leader Job Cohen. "He is a spineless man who did little for Amsterdam's original inhabitants when he was mayor of the city. Cohen is 100 percent pro Islam," Mr Wilders is quoted in de Volkskrant.
“Wilders blustered as usual about the themes his party has set as its spearheads,” comments AD. The Rotterdam-based daily points out that the Freedom Party chose the port city for its manifesto launch because of its symbolic value.
The paper reminds us that murdered anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn began his career in Rotterdam. "We'll plant our flag here and begin reconquering the Netherlands,” said Mr Wilders. “Unlike Job Cohen, we want more law and order and less immigration."
Despite his non-stop attacks on left-wing politicians, Mr Wilders is getting unexpected support from the left. Both de Telegraaf and de Volkskrant quote Femke Halsema of the Green Left party, who is accusing public broadcasters VARA (the social-democrat broadcaster) and NPS (officially neutral) of airing "a scare-mongering pamphlet" about the Freedom Party.
Sunday evening's edition of the Zembla programme – a co-production by the two organisations - presented a roundup of Geert Wilders' fieriest statements on Islam and deportation. Ms Halsema said on Twitter, "This confirms prejudices people have about public broadcasters".
Geert Wilders wants to impose sharp cuts on the publicly-funded networks. Not mincing his words, he tells de Telegraaf, "The ‘state broadcaster’ compared us to the Nazis and Milosevic. The programme was disgustingly biased. We should send the makers to Nova Zembla once we get them off the subsidy drip-feed."
Meanwhile, the Amsterdam trial court proceedings, deferred to October, continue with the completion of expert witnesses’ testimony for Wilders’ defense. The current schedule ends with the testimony of Former Muslims United co-founder, Dr. Wafa Sultan on June 28th. Testimony of Mr. S.R. Admiraal was heard on April 26th. Professor J.J. G Jensen will testify on May 6th. The current schedule calls for trial proceedings on October 4th, 6th and 8th with indictment on October 12th, presentation of Wilders’ defense on October 15th and rebuttal on October 19th. A verdict in this political show trial may be handed down by the Amsterdam court on November 2nd.
Given his trial, it would be ironic if Wilders and the PVV finished strong enough to be asked by Queen Beatrix, who was feted on Queen’s Day in the Netherlands, April 29th, to form a ruling coalition in the Hague Parliament. One wonders whether if that occurred would the Amsterdam trial collapse like a proverbial house of cards? But first, let’s see what the outcome of the general elections is on June 9th. Posted on 04/30/2010 3:15 AM by Jerry Gordon
Comments
30 Apr 2010
 dumbledoresarmy
Am I reading things correctly? Is the verdict on Mr Wilders set to be handed down *on November 2nd*?? That is downright eerie. For, if I remember rightly, it was on the sunny morning of November 2nd, 2004, in broad daylight in a street in Amsterdam, that Theo Van Gogh was gunned down by a Muslim assassin, in the presence of many horrified native Dutch citizens. If the Dutch court has indeed chosen November 2nd for the giving of a verdict upon Wilders on the matter of his supposed 'hate speech' against Muslims, they have handed a magnificent opportunity for protest to all Islamosavvy Dutch citizens. On the eve of All Hallows, on All Saints and finally on the Feast of All Souls, there should be huge rallies held on that very street in Amsterdam, centred on the very spot where Theo van Gogh was murdered in the name of Islam. Those rallies would remember and tell the story of Theo Van Gogh and proclaim support for Geert Wilders who stepped forward into the breach after first Pym Fortuyn, and then Theo Van Gogh, fell on the frontline of the resistance against Jihad. I have two pictures in my head. One is of a SWAT team of Dutch artists recreating - in the exact spot from which it was originally removed in grovelling obedience to Muslim squawkings - the protest mural that was painted on a wall nearby after Theo's murder: an angel, and the Sixth Commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill' (though a blunter, and better translation of the Hebrew, so I am told, would be even more apposite - "thou shalt not murder"). The other picture is of two women, one black, one white, namely, Ayaan Hirsi Ali Theo's friend, who was helped by him to make her powerful Islamocritical short film 'Submission', and Susanna Zeller-Hirzel, last surviving member of the White Rose Society who resisted the Nazis, and has now joined the Resistance to Jihad in Europe (I think she is connected with the group Pax Europa). I see these two women side by side, dressed in exquisite mourning, each laying down - upon the spot where Theo was murdered - a single white rose.
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