Two right-wing PVV MPs caught creating fake AI images of opposition leader, GroenLinks-PvdA files charges

Two Dutch parliamentarians from the PVV (Party for Freedom) have been caught red-handed creating AI-generated images attacking opposition leader Frans Timmermans, and now GroenLinks-PvdA (GreenLeft-Labour) is filing criminal charges.

Geert Wilders has apologised, but his rivals aren’t having it.

The images in question were shared on a pro-PVV Facebook page called “Wij doen geen aangifte tegen Geert Wilders” (We’re not filing charges against Geert Wilders). Ironic name, considering what happened next.

The AI-generated pictures showed Timmermans, leader of the GroenLinks-PvdA alliance, being led away in handcuffs by police, handing cash from a white man to a Muslim couple, and posing beneath the word “CORRUPT” in capital letters. Subtle stuff, really.

Who’s behind the deepfakes?

According to De Volkskrant, the administrators of this charming Facebook page are none other than PVV MPs Maikel Boon and Patrick Crijns. Both are running again in the upcoming elections, positioned at numbers 23 and 34 on the party list.

De Groene Amsterdammer was already reporting on this nasty PVV AI business two weeks ago, along with De Volkskrant’s earlier coverage.

The page has since been taken offline, but not before GroenLinks-PvdA announced they’re filing criminal charges for libel. They’re also pressing charges over death threats that appeared in the comments beneath the images.

“Politicians are increasingly threatened, and we see this during this campaign as well. That’s a threat to democracy. Pages like these contribute to that,” the party stated.

Wilders apologises (sort of)

PVV leader Geert Wilders took to X yesterday morning to distance himself from the images, calling them “inappropriate and outrageous”. He even offered apologies to “colleague Timmermans”.

But Timmermans wasn’t buying it. Speaking on NPO Radio 1’s Sven op 1, he said he expects Wilders to take action and ensure Boon and Crijns don’t return to parliament.

Wilders has stated he has no intention of removing the two MPs from the PVV list. So those apologies might ring a bit hollow.

Gloves off at yesterday’s debate

The controversy erupted into a full-blown confrontation during yesterday evening’s EenVandaag debate in Rotterdam’s Ahoy arena. With over 2,000 students watching, Timmermans and Wilders had what observers described as a “hard collision” over the AI images.

Timmermans accused the PVV leader of running a “hate factory” and repeated his demand that the two MPs be removed from the list.

According to the NOS, the entire debate was particularly fierce and chaotic, with accusations flying in all directions.

What happens next?

The Team Bedreigde Politici (Threatened Politicians Team) of the Dutch police confirmed to De Volkskrant that they’re investigating the Facebook page.

For context, this comes at a particularly tense moment in Dutch politics. The elections take place tomorrow, and the race between Wilders’ PVV, Timmermans’ GroenLinks-PvdA, and the VVD is neck-and-neck.

The PVV collapsed its own coalition earlier this year, triggering these snap elections.

Whether this AI-generated scandal will affect voting behaviour remains to be seen. What’s clear is that deepfakes and manipulated images are becoming a troubling feature of Dutch political campaigns, raising questions about how democracy functions when anyone with basic AI tools can create convincing (if not entirely believable) content.

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Feature Image: European Commission/CC4.0