Six months after the Dutch general election, three far-right parties, Geert Wilders' Party for Freedom (PVV), the New Social Contract (NSC) led by Pieter Omzicht, and the Peasants' Citizen Movement (BBB) led by Caroline van der Plas, The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), joined by the Freedom Party (incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte), has agreed to form a new coalition government, making it the most right-wing Dutch government since World War II.
Mr Wilders and the leaders of the other three parties are not themselves part of the government. Final decisions on the personnel affairs of government leaders and the allocation of cabinet positions are expected to be made by mid-June. However, even if he does not take up a cabinet position himself, Mr. Wilders will be an influential figure supporting the new government. His PVV has 37 out of 88 members, making it the strongest force in the government coalition, and as the PVV's only official member, Wilders has free rein to decide its policies and personnel.
Wilders is one of Europe's best-known and most vile far-right figures. He is known for his Islamophobia and maintains close ties to neo-fascist circles both domestically and internationally. Back in 2015, he took part in a demonstration called by the xenophobic Pegida movement in Dresden, East Germany. Four weeks ago, he attended a conference in Budapest with 3,000 far-right figures from around the world.
The 26-page coalition agreement, titled “Hope, Courage and Pride'', is a declaration of war against the working class and all forms of social and left-wing opposition. The agreement has two central goals: introducing the “toughest asylum laws in history” and establishing a police state. The document clearly bears Wilders' signature.
Meanwhile, in foreign and security policy, the Dutch bourgeoisie has demanded guarantees that the new government will not deviate from current NATO and EU policies. The coalition document is committed to supporting the European Union and Ukraine in the war against Russia. Mr Wilders had previously questioned both promises. But when it comes to Gaza, the Islamophobic Wilders has always been one of the most ardent supporters of Israeli genocide.
unmistakable message
The message sent by government programs is unmistakable. In the face of rising social tensions and violent protests against the Palestinian genocide, the ruling class is bringing the far right into government to intimidate and suppress any opposition.
The Dutch bourgeoisie has already brutally suppressed anti-genocide protests in recent weeks, and Mr. Wilders, who has labeled opponents of war and genocide anti-Semitic scum, has used heavy-handed tactics to crack down on the protests. I think it's the best way to do it.
Strengthening the country's refugee laws serves the same purpose. Asylum seekers and migrants are scapegoated for social crises and stripped of their rights. In this way, preparations are being made for the dismantling of all democratic and social rights of the working class.
The coalition's document promises to introduce “the toughest asylum grant system ever and the most comprehensive package to manage migration”. They blame refugees and immigrants for all social problems. The Netherlands is “one of the most densely populated countries in Europe” and the large increase in immigration is “having a major impact on our country's housing, health, education, finances and social cohesion,” the document said. ing.
It then proposes measures to significantly reduce all forms of immigration. Immigration procedures will be tightened, border controls will be strengthened and existing EU rules will be ignored to make the Netherlands “less attractive for asylum seekers”. Automatic family reunification will be suspended indefinitely and reunification will be severely limited. Asylum procedures will be streamlined, indefinite asylum grants will be abolished, access to legal aid will be limited, and procedures will be shortened. The “deportation'' of immigrants will be strengthened, and those who do not cooperate will be severely punished. The entry of labor migrants and students from non-EU countries will be significantly restricted. The contract goes on like this for many pages.
Some members of the new government's coalition sought to capitalize on dissatisfaction with the severe housing crisis, low pensions, inadequate health care, and chronically underfunded public education during the election campaign, but these issues are not part of the coalition's policies. It is hardly included in the program. And even when these issues come up, such as promises to reduce health insurance premiums or child care fees, they remain empty promises with no funding.
Importantly, the official minimum wage remains unchanged despite inflation and rising costs of living. The duration of unemployment benefits will be shortened from 24 months to 18 months.
The second major theme of the coalition agreement is the militarization of society and the arming of the national security apparatus. Of the 10 chapters in total, one is titled “Good Governance and Strong Rule of Law” and the other is titled “National Security.” They envision a significant increase in police forces and extensive resources and powers to establish a police state.
“Our democratic, constitutional state is threatened by Islamic terrorism and directly undermined by organized crime,” one passage reads. “Our security is under pressure from social polarization and discontent. Security and resilient societies are our top priority. This requires us to take tough action against those who threaten our freedom and security. Prevention and repression are two sides of the same coin for effective security policy.
This was followed by a long list of repressive measures and new powers given to security services, giving them free rein in repression and provocation. These measures include “intensifying detention based on the Italian model,” “expanding the use of pseudonyms by police, prosecutors and investigating judges,” and “increasing the visible presence and number of police stations in neighborhoods, communities and regions.”
The powers of police and intelligence agencies to spy on digital communications will be significantly expanded. The criminal offense of being a member of a terrorist organization will be expanded and the penalties will be strengthened. Anticipating widespread radicalization among young people, the document states that “juvenile justice for those aged 14 to 16 will be tightened and maximum penalties will be increased.”
In view of growing public discontent and recent student protests, the coalition plans to significantly restrict the right to demonstrate. Make a clearer distinction between “(peaceful) demonstrations and destructive actions.” “Disruption of the peace, intimidation of others, and public violence will not be tolerated. When demonstrators cross the boundaries of the law, prosecutors' offices, local authorities and the national police are called upon to intervene decisively.”
Europe's 'firewall' against the right disappears
With Wilders' PVV joining the Dutch government, talk of Europe's “firewall” and “barrier line” against the far right is actually a fraud, designed to deceive the public and thwart the serious fight against fascism. It turned out to be an attempt. Such firewalls have never actually existed and are currently being officially removed.
The decision to include the PVV in government was taken at the highest political level: without Mark Rutte's approval a coalition agreement would not have been possible.
Rutte has extensive connections not only in the Netherlands, where he has ruled for 14 years, but also in the European Union and NATO. He is one of the key figures in the Council of Europe, the body of EU leaders and heads of government, and is seen as the frontrunner to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO secretary-general. His party, the VVD, is part of the liberal Renew Europe Group, which also includes French President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance and German Finance Minister Christian Lindner's Free Democratic Party (FDP).
The Rutte-Wilders alliance confirms what the WSWS has been warning for years. The far right is deliberately cultivated by the ruling class in order to intimidate and suppress any resistance to the class struggle and its war policies. The far right is not a foreign body in an otherwise healthy organism, but rather an expression and product of the rightward drift of the entire ruling class.
This development is well underway across Europe. The EU is preparing to give the far right a prominent political role after June's European elections. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had already announced at the end of April her desire to win a second term with far-right votes. Manfred Weber, leader of the conservative EPP group in the European Parliament, has long sought close ties with the far right.
In Germany, the ruling class is also preparing to bring the PVV's sister party, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), into state governments after the state elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg due in September. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung There is no doubt about this. The paper described the integration of Mr Wilders and his PVV into the government as “the only logical conclusion from recent election results” and said “the firewall has not helped the contrary”.
FAZ tries to reassure its readers that “participation in power has a civilizing effect,” but in fact it is the opposite. On Sunday, Spain's Vox party, which continues the traditions of fascist dictator Franco, gathered 10,000 supporters at Madrid's bullring. Representatives of Europe's far-right parties, including Marine Le Pen (France), Giorgia Meloni (Italy), Viktor Orbán (Hungary) and Mateusz Morawiecki (Poland), addressed the rally in person or by video.
The star guest was Argentine President Javier Milley, who unleashed a storm of enthusiasm with a scathing attack on fascism: “Socialism is a cancer of humanity,” he said. “Socialism is the enemy. Let us not let ourselves be defeated by its dark, black, satanic, hateful, cruel, carcinogenic side: socialism.”
The main responsibility for the rise of the right lies nominally with left-wing parties. The Social Democrats, the Greens, and the trade unions also support wars in Gaza and Ukraine, close Europe to refugees, and organize the dismantling of jobs, social security, and wages. Their policies are fundamentally no different from those of the far right. This also applies to the German Left Party and other pseudo-leftist organizations. These allow the far right to channel some of their dissatisfaction with official politics into support for their thoroughly reactionary policies.
The fight against the far-right requires a clear political vision. It can only be successful if it is directed at all parties that defend the capitalist order. Strikes against cuts in wages and social benefits and protests against the Israeli genocide must be united in a powerful anti-capitalist movement in the fight for a socialist society. Then the ground will be swept from under the feet of the fascists. This is the vision of the Socialist Unity Party for the European elections.
