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The Netherlands´ rude awakening to racism
Peter Fray, The Sydney Morning Herald - 26.04.2002 21:05
Ik vond dit artikel op de "jerusalempagina´s". Ook Indymedia Israel wil de aandacht voor de Midden-Oosten problematiek verbreden tot over de Europese grenzen. Wie draagt erbij..
Tom Welschen-Milaan
Almost half of 18- to 30-year-olds say they will vote for his zero Muslim migration stance. If his polling translates into seats, he may be responsible for breaking down the consensus-style coalition governments that have been running the country for decades, and a political boilover of Le Pen proportions.
April 27 2002
When the Labour mayor of the Netherlands´ second largest city found himself swept from power by a gay, shaven-headed, openly racist opponent last month, he told reporters: "I don´t know what´s going on, but something is terribly wrong in Rotterdam."
Bram Peper, whose party had controlled the busy port city for almost 60 years, was not alone.
Just as France is wondering how Jean-Marie Le Pen has come to be running against Jacques Chirac for president, so too is Holland - socially liberal, anything goes Holland - grappling with a political earthquake called Pim Fortuyn.
Fortuyn (pronounced Fortown) is perhaps the most surprising of the new crop of radical Right candidates. A former sociology professor, he is as small "l" liberal as the next Netherlander on social policy and as profoundly anti-immigrant as Le Pen and his cohorts elsewhere in western Europe.
He sees no contradiction in the two positions, arguing that it is the influx of intolerant cultures, such as Islam, that threatens to undermine Holland´s celebrated relaxed lifestyle.
"In Holland, homosexuality is treated the same way as heterosexuality," he recently told London´s Observer newspaper. "In what Islamic country does that happen? We have equality of men and women in Western society, whereas in Islamic culture women are inferior to men."
After taking Rotterdam by storm, Fortuyn and his followers are campaigning hard for national elections due on May 15. Polls say he may win up to 20 per cent vote.
Young voters in particular are supporting his views. Almost half of 18- to 30-year-olds say they will vote for his zero Muslim migration stance. If his polling translates into seats, he may be responsible for breaking down the consensus-style coalition governments that have been running the country for decades, and a political boilover of Le Pen proportions.
Fortuyn rejects suggestions that he is racist or a member of the far Right. This week his spokesman described comparisons with himself and Le Pen as "insulting".
But like the French National Front leader, Fortuyn is cashing in on the general anti-Islam sentiment in Europe, especially prevalent since September 11.
 Website: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/04/26/1019441303773.html
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| supplements | | some supplements were deleted from this article, see policy | | | Some facts wrong in this Australian article | stop extreem rechts - 26.04.2002 22:08
In The Netherlands, contrary to Australia, mayors are not elected, so Fortuijn had nothing to do with who is mayor. Also not half of 18-30 year olds intend to vote Fortuyn. The typical Fortuijn voter is an over fifty male with too much money and too little education
| | niet alleen rijk | ox - 26.04.2002 23:48
Waarschijnlijk gaan niet alleen rijke 50+ers op fortuyn stemmen, maar ook veel arme (en die zo dus voor zichzelf kansen op goede gezondheidszorg, huursubsidie en andere zaken ondergraven).
| | de jeugd is rechts tegenwoordig | 27.04.2002 12:05
als je kijkt op fok.nl, een medium voor kleuters, zou je bijna zeggen, wordt je wel somber hoor over de jeugd. Veel kids die op fortuin stemmen denk ik...
| | Kom massaal naar 11 mei | TZ - 28.04.2002 22:47
Kom massaal naar 11 mei om te nogmaals voor de binnenlandse pers te bedrukken dat onze PIM een grote wolf in schaapskleren is. Kijk de buitenlandse pers weet de vergelijking al goed te trekken, nu de Nederlandse bevolking nog. Neem de protesten tegen Le Pen in Frankrijk als voorbeeld en laat het domme Nederlandse soundmixschow publiek voelen wat ze in de kuip hebben.
www.nederlandbekentkleur.nl
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