This week the mayor of Amsterdam, Eberhard van der Laan, opened My Red Light: a brothel in Amsterdam which, unlike other establishments in De Wallen, is owned entirely by the women and men who work there.
The brothel has been described as “het eerste prostitutiebedrijf in zelfbeheer” (the first brothel under self-ownership). According to van der Laan, it represents a “whole new model” in the centuries-old Amsterdam sex industry. Due to the close involvement of the Gemeente in the project, some have jokingly referred to My Red Light as the “municipal brothel”.
Eberhard van der Laan: a clever scheme by the mayor of Amsterdam?
The Legal History of Amsterdam’s Oldest Profession
However, in 2007 the city of Amsterdam bought the buildings that now house My Red Light from a notorious brothel-owner in the hope that he would vacate the area. The Gemeente then sold the premises to a social investment fund. The fun in turn rents them out to My Red Light. The brothel also benefits from a start-up loan from Rabobank.
De Wallen by day
A Safer Type of Brothel?
The point of My Red Light is that the prostitutes who work there are self-employed, can determine their own payment terms and working hours, and will not have to pay rent during holidays or periods of illness. They will also have the opportunity to follow educational courses on subjects such as accounting. The idea is to give more independence to those working there so that they can become less reliant on third parties.
The idea that My Red Light constitutes safe prostitution remains a delusion, however. The Gemeente itself has admitted that there is no guarantee that sex workers who rent windows there are not passing on part of their profits to pimps. The Gemeente hopes rather that the project will “empower” sex workers to seek independence and to gain a degree of business acumen in the process. Whether this proves to be the result of the My Red Light project, however, remains to be seen.
A while back we taught you 7 essential Dutch words, and a few weeks ago we decided to ‘greatly’ expand your knowledge of Dutch and teach you 7 extra words of Dutch (tjonge jonge!). But let’s face it, if you’re only picking up Dutch per 7 words then chances are that reading isn’t your fav thing. No worries! We’ve got you covered! We’re compiling a video of the latest 7 words again 🙂
*&%
You might have already seen the word ‘Gast’ covered last time, this time we get our hands dirty and cover an essential Dutch swear word. And since we’re wholesome people here at DutchReview we also supply you with a more decent alternative to the &*%. Enjoy!
PS. We really don’t want sexism happening in the comments, just a swear word people.
It’s been a crazy time since Sunday! Feyenoord are the 2017 champions of the Eredivisie after a resounding 3-1 win over Heracles Almelo on the final day. What appeared so certain a fortnight ago came under threat with a shock 3-0 defeat away at local rivals Excelsior on the penultimate match day which allowed Ajax to reduce the lead at the top to a single point. It wouldn’t be football without drama after all! The Rotterdammers managed to stave off Ajax’s late challenge to win their first title since 1999. How did they manage it?
Transfers
After a semi-successful season last year, winning the KNVB Beker and finishing third, Feyenoord have managed to bridge the 19-point gap between themselves and 2016 champions PSV. The backroom staff at the club ensured that the squad has been strengthened with the signings of Nicolai Jorgenson, Brad Jones and the loan of Steven Berghuis from Watford. Additionally, the only notable sales were that of Lex Immers, who had previously spent time on loan at Cardiff, and Colin Kazim-Richards. The core of the squad was successfully retained.
Manager Gio van Bronckhorst
This compared positively with previous transfer windows. Feyenoord, with their strong youth academy, had become something of a selling club. Previous manager Ronald Koeman had poached Graziano Pelle and Jordy Clasie whilst defensive stalwarts Stefan De Vrij and Bruno Martins Indi had also moved on. It appears financial stability has been achieved and the club managed to keep hold of its best youth players last summer. Rick Karsdorp, Terence Kongolo and Tonny Vilhena have continued their development and became key members of the title-winning team.
Goals
A huge reason for PSV’s lack of challenge this season has been their inability to convert their chances to the lament of manager Philip Cocu. Luuk de Jong, who plundered 26 goals last season, only managed 8. Comparatively, Jorgenson, Feyenoord’s summer signing from Kobenhavn, scored 21 to win the golden boot.
They weren’t overly reliant on the big Dane either. Dirk Kuyt scored 12 times and Jens Toornstra scored 14. As a team, Feyenoord only failed to find the net on 3 occasions – all away from home. They top scored with 83 whereas PSV only mustered 63; Ajax managed 78. At the other end, they also conceded the least with 19.
Man of the hour: Dirk Kuyt
Team Spirit
I could have used an old footballing cliché here: ‘bouncebackability’. Each time the team suffered a setback they recovered quickly and effectively. In late October and early November, the team’s form slipped. Draws to Ajax, Heerenveen and Utrecht were compounded by an embarrassing defeat away at Go Ahead Eagles – their first of the season. This was potentially down to the extra stress that competing in the Europa League had on the squad. Priorities were reassessed and it’s clear that the league became the focus. Manager Gio van Bronckhorst deserves credit here as the team went on to score 13 in the 3 games before the winter break including a 6-1 win over local rivals Sparta Rotterdam. Confidence was back and Feyenoord went on to win 7 on the bounce after the mid-season break.
The side maintained this resilience until the end of the season. A 1-0 reverse to Sparta was followed by a 5-2 victory over AZ. A loss to Ajax was followed by the 8-0 defeat of Go Ahead Eagles. Even at the end of the season, the 3-0 loss to Excelsior which looked like it might ruin Feyenoord’s title ambitions was followed by an assured display on the final day at home to Heracles.
Stadion Feyenoord is affectionately known as ‘De Kuip’
De Kuip
Translated into English as ‘The Tub’, Feyenoord made their home ground a fortress this season. They failed to lose a single game and dropped only 4 points – that’s two draws! It is fitting that the title was won on the final day in front of the adoring crowd that had backed the team the whole way.
Flags in the team’s red and white and those in the green and white of the city of Rotterdam greeted Feyenoord as they walked out for the final game of the season. The atmosphere was electric!
Captain Dirk Kuyt was restored to the starting eleven. It was telling that he had been omitted from the starting eleven the previous week and the team had collapsed under the pressure. There was to be no mistake against Heracles – there couldn’t be.
The fairytale Eredivisie win was fittingly capped off with a hattrick from the captain; a veteran of the game and a man for the big occasion. As the final whistle went, Kuyt collapsed to the turf as emotion overcame him. He had managed what no other, including van Bronckhorst, had managed for 18 years and lead Feyenoord to an Eredivisie title.
If the team are to challenge successfully for the Eredivisie in the future lessons must be learned from this year. They cannot expect to keep selling their best players and remain successful; money must be spent wisely and on the right players; and, of course, youth players must be given opportunities.
What makes the sharing economy of Amsterdam actually work and shine?
We all know Uber and Airbnb, but Amsterdam has definitely upped the ante when it comes to sharing and collaborating to create a friendly, sustainable city. New sharing apps and digital platforms are popping up left and right, all designed to encourage Amsterdammers to take part in an economy that thrives on cooperation. Socially, this new trend of a sharing economy brings people together, and from a sustainable point of view it ultimately reduces waste and takes cars off the road.
Sharing economy of Amsterdam: Sharing is caring
Nanette Schippers, who is the program manager for sharing economy at the government of Amsterdam says: “We are trying to increase social capital, and sharing is a good thing.” This initiative started in 2015 when Amsterdam became Europe’s first Sharing City. A social enterprise called ShareNL worked together with the the city to advise start-ups on how to encourage collaboration between the public sector, companies, and local citizens. ShareNL also launched a platform called the Sharing City Alliance, which promotes ideas from other like-minded cities like Hamburg, Barcelona, Toronto, or Tel Aviv.
Sharing is caring
Research showed that in 2013 around 10 percent of Amsterdam citizens said they felt comfortable sharing something with a stranger. That number went up to 32 percent in 2016. The age group most willing to share currently lies between 20 and 45 years. The aim for the city is to grow that number further, to expand this age group in both directions, and to include a greater portion of low-income groups.
Useful apps and platforms
The sharing economy of Amsterdam knows a multitude of sharing apps, from sharing storage spaces to leasing out unused cars to sharing skills to even sharing meals. MyWheels, for example, allows you to rent a car from people in your neighborhood. You can also rent out your vehicle on SnappCar to lend your car to fellow citizens. If your car sits around unused most of the time this app is especially useful, and will allow you to help out someone in need of a vehicle (whilst also earning a few bucks on the side).
The carpooling app Abel brings drivers and passengers together who are going in the same direction. If you go on holidays and park your car at Schiphol airport, you can rent it out through the app ParkFlyRent and receive a part of the income generated from it. On Camptoo you can rent privately owned motorhomes, which are usually only used a few times (if only once) throughout the year.
In need of a cheap holiday? Home Exchange lets you swap your home for short getaways or longer holidays. Peerby allows you to borrow household items from your neighbours, and if you are in need of some extra storage space you can browse through Djeepo, where people share their private basements, attics or spare rooms so you can store your belongings. Konnektid, a very social app, allows you to share your skills with someone else. How about learning a new language or teaching someone to play the guitar?
Go on and share your tub of ice-cream with someone
Share you space, your car, your skills
Have you ever heard of AirDnD (Drink and Dine)? This app offers you to share a meal with a stranger in their private home. Diners can pop into a private kitchen to eat home-cooked food. The GEEF Café is a restaurant that uses only food that’s about to be thrown away. You can eat there, contribute some money and a portion of the income is used to feed the less fortunate. You can also volunteer your time at the restaurant in exchange for food.
To me, all of this sounds incredibly positive and ultimately makes a city more appealing and liveable, not only for the people that are planning to relocate and move to Amsterdam, but also for visitors and tourists who are able to take part in this sharing economy.
Liked this article? Ah good while back in the beginning of DutchReview we also did an article or 5 on the sharing economy of Amsterdam and the Netherlands as a whole. Here’s the first part
Summer is here. Finally. The days are longer and we spend as much time as possible outside soaking up those much longed-for sunrays.
Summer equals freedom and nothing compares to that feeling of sun in your face, wind in your hair, the smell of salty water and your feet buried in hot sand… how nice would it be to chill on a beach somewhere in Croatia, Spain, Turkey or Italy right now taking a cool dip in the water?
But what if you just started a new job and can’t get any time off work this summer or coronavirus has ruined your abroad travel plans? Not a problem at all. Believe it or not but you can still get that special holiday feeling in the city without spending big bucks to go somewhere far. Just take a summer staycation and sample all the fine urban beaches Amsterdam has to offer. Are you ready? Just lean back, dig a hole in the sand with your feet and take a sip of your ice-cold drink.
You’ll find this hip and quirky urban beach in the Eastern part of Amsterdam. When you turn around the corner towards the entrance you immediately feel like you just entered a little hippy village by the beach. An old warehouse and some junkyard art are a reminder of the industrial past of this area. You’ll find a selection of outdoor and indoor bars and a large sandy beach next to the canal with a rope swing to cool off on a hot day. When it gets a bit fresh at night you can also sit inside and enjoy some music, cocktails and food. Definitely a summer hotspot.
A trip to Amsterdam Noord always feels like a mini holiday. From Central Station, you can cross the IJ to NDSM and after a little walk you’ll find Pllek, a relaxed waterfront bar to kick back day and night. You can chill with a cold drink on one of the beanbags by the water enjoying the sun or you can watch the bonfire at night whilst listening to DJ’s spinning their tracks. Take in the views of the city from this fun hotspot across the water.
Pllek, your urban beach in Amsterdam Noord. Image: TijsB/Flickr
Strandzuid is another one of those urban beaches in the Southern part of the city located between Amsterdam RAI and the Beatrixpark. This inland beach complex is nestled next to a lake and boasts a chic restaurant with a spacious beer deck. Find your comfy sunbathing spot at the sandy beach or go for a little ping-pong match with your friends.
How about a cold drink at Strandzuid? Image: Supplied
A little bit further from the centre than the other urban beaches, Blijburg aan Zee offers plenty of holiday summer vibes. It is located on IJburg, a man-made island you can easily reach by tram or bike. Pack your towel, sunscreen and your sunglasses, then head over there for some serious frolicking in the sun. You can cool off in the water, sunbathe and order drinks and food at the cosy beach bar with a bohemian flair that offers live music by the campfire in the evening. Who needs Spain when you have Blijburg at your doorstep?
I know what you’re thinking now. NEMO is not a beach, it’s Amsterdam’s science centre. You are right BUT have you seen their giant roof terrace overlooking the water and the city’s rooftops? You’ll feel like you’re on a cruise ship with a fancy drink in your hand. The deck chairs, water features and sandpits add to your holiday feeling and you can just sit back, relax and enjoy your cool ice cream on a warm day in the city. Lots of photo ops of the stunning views.
Well, there it is – no need to take a plane when you can jump on a bike and explore the many unique little staycation spots found throughout Amsterdam. Remember though, this is the Netherlands, so while a big sun hat is optional, an umbrella is not.
Did we miss any urban beaches or summer hotspots? Let us know in the comments!
Feature Image: TijsB/Flickr
Editor’s Note: This article was initially published in May 2017, and was fully updated in June 2020 for your reading pleasure.
Let’s face it, everyone likes killing zombies, and Amsterdam’s VR Arcade is taking it to the next level.
By this time, if you know anything about virtual reality, you know that it’s likely to be the future of gaming (and possibly movies, simulation training, and more). Technologies like the HTC Vive, PlayStation VR, and Oculus Rift are amazing. They allow for a brilliant immersive experience and exceptionally accurate hands-on capabilities.
Nevertheless, these systems are built to be used in the confines of an average living room, so walking around and potentially crashing into a cupboard filled with all your prized china is a bit of risk. VR Arcade Amsterdam has sought out to solve this exact issue.
They also have a classic Pac-Man machine if you’re into that. And who isn’t?
Europe’s first free-roam VR experience!
Located a couple minutes’ walk/bike into Amsterdam North, you’ll walk past EYE, the VR Arcade have created Europe’s first free-roam virtual reality experience. Groups of 4-5 people can walk around in virtual environments without worrying about crashing into walls and other people (at least not more than in real life).
Of course, they could use this space for a lot of different activities, but naturally it’s being dedicated wholly to the free-range slaughter of zombies… because what else would you do with this technology?
The specialized free-roam VR backpacks, waiting to be used.
It’s not just about shooting zombies.
The experience starts before the zombie game, though, so if you’ve never experienced VR before, you’ll have plenty of time to adjust. Upon entering the VR Arcade, players enter what is essentially a large living room with a bar. If you’re early, you can grab a drink, relax, and if there’s another group in the zombie game, you can watch them both on a nearby screen and through the window that looks into next room (which should be extremely hilarious)
When you’re taking a selfie, but your friend is being attacked by a giant scary clown in VR.Getting in a good warm up.
Groups visiting the VR Arcade book 1 hour of time, where 30 minutes of it is spent in the zombie game simulation. The other 30 minutes provide an opportunity to test out the 3 Oculus Rift set-ups that are installed in the large living room. So if it’s your first time in VR, it’s a good chance to get a feel for the technology. Once it’s time the friendly staff will explain the game and next thing you know you’re running around shooting zombies.
But shooting zombies is the best part.
As you explore abandoned hospitals, houses, and farms, zombies come flooding in from all directions, threatening to kill you (at least virtually) as you and your friends fend them off desperately with your firearms. All the while you’re trying not to be distracted by the gorgeous and massive moon that hangs over the quiet landscape.
It really is a fantastic experience as you run around with your friends, firing an infinite (thank god) number of bullets at the oncoming undead horde with only one goal in mind: scoring points….I mean, sure you’re also trying to survive, but let’s be fair, it’s about the points.
SCORE ALLLL THE POINTS!! I’m Player 5 if you’re curious 😀
Interested in visiting the VR Arcade?
All in all, the VR Arcade’s free-roam experience creates a wonderfully open approach to virtual reality. So whether you’ve never done VR before, or if you’re highly experienced in it, or if you just want shoot zombies and score points, the VR Arcade can appeal to all. Just make sure to book an appointment on their website before you visit!
Yesterday, for the first time since 1999, Feyenoord officially won the Dutch Eredivisie after a 3-1 victory over Heracles. A loss or tie would have broken hearts all through Rotterdam, but a hattrick from veteran Dirk Kuyt meant Feyenoord are finally able to lift the trophy that they have waited so long to reclaim.
Feyenoord supporters, after suffering a dry-spell of nearly two decades, have exploded in a frenzy of joy and conquered the city of Rotterdam to celebrate. Supporters from all over rushed to the nation’s second largest city to be part of the festivities. So many people showed up, in fact, that an NL Alert had to be sent out warning the public that the city center was overcrowded and urged those who weren’t already there to stay outside of the city.
Translation: “Homage Feyenoord Rotterdam” no more space for party-goers, city center is full. Celebrate at home or elsewhere.
For those smart enough to get there on time, however, the center became one of the city’s biggest party in years. Hofplein’s fountain was filled to the brim with gleeful party-goers and the rest of Coolsingel was just as crowded. And of course, there was plenty of singing.
“That side of Giethoorn you don’t get to see in all the ads”
Are you the sophisticated, cosmopolitan tourist type, someone who likes to dip their chips in tomato, mayonnaise and honeymustard all at the same time?
Then the Netherlands’ very own cultural fusion tourist spot of Giethoorn should be your first port of call this summer.
Giethoorn: The Dutch Venice?
Sitting in a café in the glorious, if rare, Spring sun of Giethoorn in the north of Netherlands, two beers deep, it’s hard not to feel far more intoxicated. Not only by the tranquil beauty of the place, but by the bizarre ménage a trois of culture occurring all around you.
Despite being a relatively small town, Giethoorn has become a popular tourist spot due to its reputation as the ‘Dutch Venice’. This is almost certainly down to the fact that there are no roads in the town, rather than its one overpriced Italian ice-cream shop.
Residents and visitors to Griethoorn must navigate its winding suburban paths and thatched houses by foot, or alternatively rent a boat and hope you’ve got the reaction speed to steer out the way of dozens of twenty-foot tourist barges clogging the narrow waterways.
Despite receiving around 800,000 tourists annually, the town’s website still boasts of the serenity “the loudest sound you can normally hear is the quacking of a duck”. Whilst you can add bus-loads of tourist chatter, snapping cameras and drunken boaters to this boast, it does feel surprisingly apt.
Yet while escaping the noise of ‘the big smoke’ for some canal-side duck quacking might be reason enough to give Griethoorn a visit, the most intriguing aspect of the Dutch Venice is its proportion of Chinese visitors.
Chinese visitors to Giethoorn?
Arriving at Steenwijk train station, the most convenient stop if you’re coming from Amsterdam or Groningen to the north, you’re greeted in the tourist office/bus station by a Chinese speaking employee, who hands you a map of the local area in Chinese. You then get on a fifteen minute bus filled to the brim with Chinese tourists, and a couple of token Germans. Upon arriving in the town you immediately notice that most of the bar, café and boat rental signs are written in Chinese, Dutch and English, often in that order.
Chinese tourists are a pretty common and welcome site in most European tourist hotspots nowadays, but why has this little ‘Dutch Venice’, that most travellers from Europe have never heard of, and most Dutch natives seem to know as “that place with the boats and all the Chinese people”, attracted such attention from our eastern brethren?
The answer apparently lies in a popular documentary called Ni Hao Holland. The presenter ‘Cherry’ lives in Beijing, but dreams of swapping the hectic city life for, you guessed it, Giethoorn.
Thanks in large part to the success of the film, and prolific word of mouth, many Chinese travellers are in love with the village, which many even refer to as “Garden of Eden”. Having spent a sunny day wandering the town it’s hard to disagree with them.
So if mono- or bi- tourism bores you, and you’re craving a more diverse, tri-velling experience this summer, I suggest you follow the noise of quacking ducks to the ‘Chinese Venice of the Netherlands’.
When I first arrived in the Netherlands as a young, bright-eyed student, I bought the ‘museumkaart’ (Museums Pass) for €59,90. It was a splurge, but gave me free or heavily discounted access to about 400 museums throughout NL. Usually I went with people. Don’t get me wrong, going to a museum alone can be really great. But sometimes you get excited about a painting, or want to tell someone your insights on pre-WWI events. It’s nice to have another person with you for that kind of thing.
MRW I have nobody to chatter to about Roy Liechtenstein’s ‘Still life with attaché case’
Of course, the Netherlands is a nation of problem-solvers. So now there’s a website for that. The Netherlands’ Museums Association seems to have introduced the world’s first online site for people looking to hook up with other museum pass-holders.
You have to have a museum card to participate, which you register online, but the service itself is free. After registering their card, users can write a short description of what they’re interested in, or search the profiles already there and hook up with new art gallery buddies.
It’s a really great way to meet like-minded people, deepen your cultural knowledge, and even make new friends or find a special someone you just happen to click with.
*clicking intensifies*
A popular initiative
Since its launch on 27 March, the initiative has been successful. A quick browse of the site reveals loads of are using it. Most profiles are written in Dutch but there are a few English ones too.
The site itself is only available in Dutch at the moment. This might change as interest grows, but for now, it’s no biggie. Just get a Dutch-speaker to help you get set up!
How does it work?
Everyone with a Museums Pass and older than 18 can use it. You don’t upload a photo and can control how much you tell people about yourself.
A short bio is visible to all visitors to the site, but you have to be registered to access more information and the users can choose how much information they want to share. Users filter the results by ticking boxes indicating their preferences. People find each other based on profile descriptions and preferences.
When one person contacts another user, that user can choose to accept or reject the contact. Basic contact details will be given once a request is accepted, and then the users can chat to each other, and meet when they both agree to.
Some people are nervous about using sites like this and people use it for different things, but there are some safety measures and support in place. The service is focused on connecting people based on their cultural interests. Obviously you should try and get a feel for what’s appropriate on the site. Erotic or offensive profiles will be removed by a moderator. Users can also report each other, so if someone is inappropriate, don’t hesitate to flag it up.
As always, it’s just about being kind and respectful.
I no longer have a Museums Pass, but for that year I think I used it four or five times. So still worth it…but I felt bad knowing I’d missed many museum opportunities.
If this website had existed when I still had a museum card, I definitely would have used it. If you’re looking for new friends, a regular museum-buddy or just want to learn more about Georgia O’Keefe, give it a go!
Is it undemocratic to be excluding Geert Wilders from the coalition?
In this post-Brexit world, it is safe to say that we are all quite familiar with the phenomenon that is populism. In the past twelve months, we have witnessed numerous victories in the spirit of this new political buzzword, and in March, the famous Dutch tolerance was tested when their national elections rolled around.
Dubbed the ‘quarter finals’ of the European national elections that are taking place in 2017, they attracted international attention as the world watched to see whether resident populist, Geert Wilders of the Freedom Party, would scoop the top prize. However, the Netherlands held firm and awarded him second place. Despite this high placement, with just Mark Rutte’s Liberals ahead in first place, Wilders is still to be kept out of the progressing coalition talks that will form the new Dutch government.
In response, Wilders branded Rutte’s efforts to exclude him from the talks ‘undemocratic and unmarketable’. Wilders looks to be correct in one aspect: it is seemingly undemocratic to exclude him from the talks. But does that mean he needs to be included?
If we consider the concept of democracy as we generally understand it in the Western world, Wilders’ exclusion is undemocratic. Although numerous definitions and types exist, at its root, democracy means to subscribe to a political system that is ruled by the people with a basic protection of civil rights. In the modern era, one of those treasured civil rights is universal suffrage no matter your sex, race, or class, and this is a right that exists for Dutch citizens.
In the March 2017 elections, Wilders received 13.1% of the vote, with a 3% rise since the last elections in 2012. In an election where there were 28 parties to choose from, this is obviously a significant victory. It’s clear he holds the support of a large portion of the electorate, and ignoring the views of his voters would be dangerous for the new Dutch government.
Arguably, Wilders’ voters would be being ignored if the Freedom Party is not included in the new coalition talks, and policies that a significant amount of the Dutch population voted for would not be implemented. If democracy means purely to put electoral power in the hands of the people for the purpose of equal rights and representation, then Wilders’ exclusion is undemocratic.
The Dutch way of doing democracy
The actual process of forming a new government in the Netherlands, however, means that it is not fully undemocratic to exclude Wilders from the ongoing talks. First and foremost, as it is difficult for a party to gain a majority in the Tweede Kamer, a coalition is almost inevitable in Dutch politics. This being the general state of affairs, the Netherlands is traditionally a country of political consultations and consensus, although the formation process has become more difficult in recent years.
One such example of this is the turbulent history of the Rutte-Wilders relationship. Although the Liberals and the Freedom Party originally cooperated in Rutte’s first term as Prime Minister, it ended badly when there was a breakdown in economic cooperation due to proposed austerity measures, and Wilders walked out. Citing this, the Freedom Party’s leftist socio-economic policies, and their principled objections to Wilders’ far-right rhetoric as the reasons why he would not work with Wilders further, even in a minority coalition, Rutte has continued to say that he wants his rival excluded from coalition talks.
Furthermore, the Volkskrant reported that most of the other parties will refuse to work with the Freedom Party as well. If the main goal in the formation of a new democratic government is to ultimately find political parties that are willing to cooperate, then it makes sense that Wilders’ party is excluded from the main talks, especially if there is a wide ideological clash.
Furthermore, Wilders’ far-right policies, especially regarding the status of Islam, go against the Dutch government’s position on freedom of religion. This principle states that the Netherlands believes everyone is free to define their own religious or ideological identity. It is also imperative in Dutch society that no one is restricted from doing so, thus developing the Dutch’s reputation for being liberal and tolerant.
Additionally, the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion is an essential element in the concept of modern democracy. By excluding Wilders from coalition talks, the Dutch government is recognising the right to religious freedom, which is a truly democratic principal which has underpinned evolution of Western civilisation.
Lessons learned
Let us ask ourselves: can we really allow a political party that preaches hate against an entire demographic and reduces them to a stereotype to be a part of a prominent European government? If we do so in the name of democracy, then I do not think we understand its correct definition.
On this note, it is also premature for news outlets to claim that Rutte saw off the far-right challenge. As already stated, Wilders came second in the elections and it is obvious that he has changed the state of Dutch politics. The political rhetoric of the nativist agenda has begun to influence mainstream parties and civil society, especially in the constant reference to Dutch national identity and the status of immigrants.
Wilders has not been fully rejected. The same could be said for the French elections that was won by the liberal Emmanuel Macron, with Marine Le Pen receiving only 35% of the vote. But that is still the largest vote for a far-right party that has ever occurred in a presidential election in France. This shows us that whilst right-wing populism has not triumphed in this European election cycle so far, we have not seen the last of this movement.
