Renew: don’t normalise hate!

Why is this important?

He denies the climate crisis is taking place. Has tried to ban mosques and the Qur’an and has condemned teachers for teaching our children how to have safe and happy relationships.

“The Climate Act, the Paris Climate Agreement and all other climate measures can go straight through the shredder,” he wrote in his far right party programme. [1]

Now this hateful man, Geert Wilders, is the most powerful person in the Netherlands. Thanks to the Dutch centre-right (VVD) party who helped put him in power. In the past, they had refused to put an extremist in power. But now in a desperate move to stay in government, they have opened the door wide open, so he can poison Dutch and European decisions.

Next Monday, the day after the EU elections, we have the opportunity to make the Dutch centre-right party (VVD) pay the price for betraying European values. Renew, the European centre-right party, will vote on whether the VVD can still be part of their membership now that they helped an extremist come to power. [2]

Renew’s leadership wants to take a stance against extremist hate. They believe that cheerleaders for the far right have no place in their group. This would strengthen parties across Europe, who are committed to stopping the far-right, and be a huge blow to the Dutch centre-right.

Renew will listen to people across Europe, whom they represent - especially while elections are ongoing. If enough of us, from across Europe, tell our representatives that we don’t want far-right cheerleaders at the centre of our European democracy, we can get the vote on our side.

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