Wilders threatens to torpedo Dutch govt over asylum rules

THE HAGUE: Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders threatened on Monday to bring down the shaky coalition governing the Netherlands if his demands for tougher immigration measures were not met “within a few weeks”.

After running out clear winner in November 2023 elections, the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) led by Wilders has the most MPs in the coalition and could force a political crisis and fresh election if it withdrew.

At a hastily arranged news conference, Wilders told reporters: “Our patience has now run out. The voters who made the PVV the largest party have the right to a cabinet that delivers.” He set out a series of demands he said should be implemented “within a few weeks at most”.

If the changes were insufficient in his view or if nothing changed “then we are off”, he warned. “So something has to change quickly in our country,” he said. Summarising his demands, he said: “Close the borders for asylum seekers and family reunifications. No more asylum centres opened. Close them.”

“Tens of thousands of Syrians should go back to their own country. And if you as a foreigner seriously overstep the mark here and misbehave, then you should leave the country.” He set out a 10-point plan, including border closures for asylum-seekers, tougher border controls, and deporting dual nationals convicted of a crime.

“The PVV has been very reasonable and patient over the past year but as of today, the gloves are off.” He acknowledged that some measures would take more than a few weeks to implement fully but he called for the necessary decisions to be taken within that timeframe.

Wilders has frequently brandished the threat to pull out from the coalition but the government led by Prime Minister Dick Schoof has survived until now. The PVV won 37 seats in the 150-seat parliament in elections, by far the largest party.