Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Europe

Dutch Populist Geert Wilders on Pace for Another Major Victory, Urges Voters to Reject Terror and Crime of Open Borders

2024-06-06

[Breitbart] Veteran populist and anti-Islamification campaigner Geert Wilders is on pace for his second major political victory in a year.

Wilders cast this week’s European Parliament elections in his characteristically stark terms, saying a vote for the left will only bring more terrorism and crime while a safer Netherlands can be realised with a vote for his Party for Freedom.

On the back of winning a "mega victory" in last November’s general election, in which his Party for Freedom (PVV) pulled off "one of the biggest political upsets in Dutch politics since World War II" in securing 37 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives and becoming the largest political party in the legislature for the first time in the history of the party, Geert Wilders is looking to go from strength to strength.

According to Dutch public broadcaster NOS, Wilder’s party is projected to win the most nationally-allocated seats in the European Parliament after this week’s elections, with polls predicting that the PVV will pick up at least nine of the 31 seats assigned to the Netherlands in the EU legislative body. This would represent a dramatic turnaround from the previous vote in 2019 when Wilder’s party did not receive enough votes to send a single MEP to Strasbourg.

After spending decades relegated to the political sidelines in the Netherlands, with a second election victory, Wilders will firmly entrench his position as the most powerful force in Dutch politics as he continues to wrangle the formation of a new right-wing government in The Binnenhof.

The ascendancy of the 60-year-old populist campaigner — and former Breitbart contributor — comes as the public grows increasingly sceptical of the open borders agenda that has dominated in Brussels and The Hague.

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Europe

The anti-Muslim, pro-Israel far right now runs Holland. Is the European Parliament next?

2024-06-02

[IsraelTimes] Upcoming elections for the EU’s legislature are expected to see gains by parties with ideologies feared by many Jews — even as they may be the community’s most ardent champions.

At a particularly bleak moment for European Jews, one of their most vocal supporters has effectively reached power in the Netherlands, the European Union’s fifth-largest economy and an influential founding member of the bloc.

A staunch advocate of Israel who worked as a volunteer in his youth in an Israeli agricultural community, Dutch politician Geert Wilders last week formed a new coalition that’s so pro-Israel and pro-Jewish that its founding contract promises to look into moving the Dutch embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and mandates Holocaust education for all new naturalized citizens.

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Europe

EU Rushes Condolences to Iran For 'Butcher of Tehran'

2024-05-21

[Breitbart] While the Islamic world expressed their condolences for the death of the Iranian President called by critics the “butcher of Tehran”, the European Union stood out among the democratic West by joining in.

Several political leaders of Iran were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday, apparently as their aircraft got into difficulty in bad weather as it returned to the country from neighbouring Azerbaijan. Among those onboard the downed helicopter was Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and the governor of one of Iran’s northern provinces Malek Rahmati, as well as other members of their entourage and crew, Anadolu Agency states.

Breitbart News reported on Ebrahim Raisi in 2023 when he was welcomed to the United States by the Biden White House to attend the United Nations in New York, despite the then-Iranian President being subject to U.S. sanctions for “complicity in serious human rights violations”. Raisi had long before earned the nickname the “Butcher of Tehran” and put on the sanctions list for having “participated in a so-called ‘death commission’ that ordered the extrajudicial executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988.”

The U.S. sanctions order also noted Raisi had been “involved in the regime’s brutal crackdown on Iran’s Green Movement protests that followed the chaotic and disorderly 2009 election”. As reported, Raisi had: “an extensive record of ordering mass executions of opponents of the Islamic regime and is accused of involvement in a range of egregious human rights abuses, including the execution of thousands of political prisoners, including pregnant women and teenage girls.”

While Iranian allies were quick to send condolences, Western states have been more circumspect. Nevertheless, European Council President Charles Michel, a Belgian centrist-liberal, was quick to make an expression on behalf of the whole European Union, he said.

Michel wrote on Monday morning: “The EU expresses its sincere condolences for the death of President Raisi and Foreign Minister Abdollahian, as well as other members of their delegation and crew in a helicopter accident. Our thoughts go to the families.”

Theo Francken, a Eurosceptic Member of Parliament also from Belgium who formerly served in that country’s government as immigration minister and who is active in NATO’s middle east group expressed concern at the European message. Responding first to the announcement that the EU was acting in “solidarity” with Iran to help it in the immediate aftermath of the crash, the politician stated: “Are you totally crazy? This guy is a first class mass murderer.

“What’s next? Saving [Putin]? What a club of geopolitical dwarfs is this EU commission”.

On Monday after Michel’s message of sympathy was broadcast, Francken responded again, calling it hypocritical for European leaders to express condolences to Iran while the regime is holding a European diplomat and aid worker hostage. He said: “Oh boy, European condolences for the death of a butcher and cruel mass murderer.

“Where are all those fake tears for Olivier Vandecasteele and Johan Floderus your EU diplomat who is still been kidnapped by the regime. You don’t speak in my name.”

That Michel did not speak in the name of all Europeans gained some traction, and shortly after Geert Wilders, the right-populist presently working to form a new government in the Netherlands joined the call. Decrying “EU solidarity with evil”, he wrote Monday morning: “not in my name”.

The earliest expressions of sympathy for Iran came from its allies worldwide, with statements published by the Chinese and Russian Presidents, India, Pakistan, and even OPEC. The Hamas terror group and Yemen’s Houthi militia, both militarily backed by Iran in their wars against the West, also sent “deepest condolences”, reports the Jerusalem Post.

Condolences from Western government leaders are harder to come by, so far. Indeed, Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni referred onto to it on Monday morning in the context of expressing hope the next generation of Iranian leadership would commit itself the stability and peace in the region.

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Europe

New Dutch government set to bring in 'strictest-ever' asylum policy

2024-05-17

[MAIL] The Netherlands has today said it will opt out of European Union rules and bring in its 'strictest-ever' asylum policy following Geert Wilders' shock election victory.

The newly agreed Dutch coalition government said the new policy will see people removed from the European country 'by force' - setting up a clash with leaders in Brussels even before it has taken office.

The 26-page coalition agreement emerged early this morning after six months of gruelling talks between four parties following last years' stunning election victory by Wilders, the long-time Euro-sceptic and leader of the far-Right PVV party.

The parties said they would file a request to the European Commission for an opt-out on European asylum policy 'as soon as possible'. People without a valid residence permit will be deported 'by force if necessary,' said the report.

Wilders on Wednesday reached a deal to form a coalition with three right-wing partners, almost six months after last year's major election victory. He has ruled himself out of the top job, but has not yet proposed his choice for prime minister.

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Europe

Geert Wilders’ right-wing party reaches provisional deal for hard-right Dutch coalition

2024-05-16

[IsraelTimes] Anti-Islam firebrand
...firebrands are noted more for audio volume and the quantity of spittle generated than for any actual logic in their arguments...
took the most votes in recent election but had difficulty forming a government; a technocratic prime minister is expected to be brought in

Anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders and three other Dutch party leaders said Wednesday they have brokered a provisional coalition deal in a move that brings closer a government driven by the hard right in yet another European Union

...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
nation.

The party leaders said that they will put the text to their party backbenchers before a full government deal can be announced. The parties still have to agree on a prime minister, who is expected to be a technocrat from outside the party structures.

With hard-right and populist parties now part of or leading a half dozen governments in the 27-nation bloc, they appear positioned to make gains in the June 6-9 election for the European Parliament.

"We have a deal among negotiators, and we will return to the position of prime minister at a later moment," Wilders said. He has reluctantly acknowledged he will not succeed Mark Rutte and instead has pushed for an outsider.

The name of a prime minister was still elusive, and even though Wilders won the election, he was considered by many too risky to be the national leader.

Speculation has centered on Ronald Plasterk, from the Labor Party, who shot back to prominence this year when he became the first "scout" to hold talks with politicians about possible coalitions.

Wilders has called Plasterk a "creative spirit" with political experience, but who is also distanced enough from the current political scene.

"If you want a government to succeed, you need a prime minister that unites," said Pieter Omtzigt, leader of the centrist New Social Contract party. Outgoing Prime Minister Rutte’s center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy and the populist Farmer Citizen Movement are also in the coalition deal.

Wilders’ Party for Freedom won 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of the Dutch parliament, and the four parties combined hold a comfortable majority of 88 seats.

After two decades in the opposition, Wilders seemed to have a shot at leading a nation that long prided itself on its tolerant society, but he has stepped aside in the interest of pushing through most of his agenda.

From Finland to Croatia, hard-line right parties are part of European governing coalitions, and hard-right or populist prime ministers are leading Hungary, Slovakia and Italia.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Neo-Trotskyists again want to burn Russia in the fire of world revolution

2024-02-17

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Roman Antonovsky

[REGNUM] At one time, Soviet Russia was very lucky that Stalin defeated Trotsky in the party struggle. Stalin's concept was to build socialism in one single country. This helped us survive, win the Great Patriotic War and maintain territorial integrity after the Civil War. Trotsky passionately wanted to spread the flame of world revolution to the whole world, setting it on fire throughout Asia and Europe. If his hellish plan had succeeded, then the Russians as a nation would most likely simply have burned in the fire of this revolution as firewood.

Trotsky died from a blow from an ice ax, but his work lives on.

After the start of the special operation, many media Russian communists begin to promote the dangerous idea of reviving the USSR 2.0. It would be nice if they limited themselves to the desire to restore the cannibalistic power of the Bolsheviks in our country, but their plans go much further. They want to drag us into World War III as one of the main actors. In their opinion, we must lead the war between the global South and the global West on the side of the former. Moreover, to become his main striking force. To die for the idea of the dominance of communism throughout the world.

They see the special operation in Ukraine not as a gathering of Russian lands, but as an opportunity to ignite the fire of revolution in Russia and the world.

For example, Prilepin first wrote Russians out of European nations, calling them white blacks, and then more than once repeated the thesis that Russia should “move to the left”, because we are supposedly mainly supported by left-wing countries, and we must now lead the left-wing international of the third world against Europe and the USA.

“Russians are actually black, red, and yellow. Russians are colored. We were born white by chance, due to a misunderstanding,” Zakhar crosses out Russians from Europe, although it is obvious to all normal people that the Russians, despite all our conflicts with Western Europeans, are a large white European Christian people. In fact, there are three great civilizations in Europe today: Roman Catholic, German Protestant and Russian Orthodox.

Yes, today we are at war with the West in Ukraine, but at one time we fought with the Persians and Turks. The pressure of radical Islamism and the unbridled criminal behavior of diasporas from the south are no less a threat to Russia than the West. Having written Russians out of Europeans, Prilepin argues that modern Russia’s allies are exclusively Marxists and left-wing countries. This is wrong.

Including India, where right-wing nationalists are in power, national-capitalist China, which ranks second in terms of billionaires in the world, where only one red flag remains from communism, and forgetting about our right-wing allies from Eurosceptics like Geert Wilders, Marine Le Pen and Viktor Orban to Iranian fundamentalists or American Trumpists like Tucker Carlson.

German Sadulaev echoes Prilepin, saying that we will fight with the West until the meltdown under the red banner of communism. Like, we weren’t accepted into the “whites only” club. Not accepted into scouts. We were shown our place - in the reservation for Papuans. Well there is no way. The experiments are over. Russia is turning to its natural allies - Iran, China, India, North Korea, Africa, Latin America. Russia is returning to its historical mission. There will be no negotiations. And there will be another, big war.

These ideas of neo-Trotskyism are not new. The late Heydar Jemal proclaimed a red-green revolution in which Islamists would unite with communists against Europe. Only Russian Christians have no place in this configuration. In Dzhemal’s fantasies, the red-green revolutionaries will have to put us on the altar, along with other European peoples, and columns in niqabs and under red flags will march along the streets of Russian cities along churches with knocked down crosses. This neo-Trotskyist utopia is no less dangerous than Western left-wing liberalism.

Russia is not the south, not the east, not the west. We are the civilization of the North. Today the Russian North is a real conservative Europe, the Third Rome, preserving true Christianity.

Firstly, Russia should not fight for any ideology, we must defend our national interests. Live by your own mind.

Secondly, we have allies in the world of very different views, including right-wing populists in Europe and the alt-right in America. And in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, not only Nazis are fighting against us, but also anarcho-communists from Russia and other countries of the world, who consider the Northern Military District to be an imperialist war of Russia.

We should not go left, center or right, we must pursue our own benefit everywhere and be friends in the world with everyone who is ready to respect the interests of Russia: from the DPRK to the Trumpists, from the right-wing Orban to the fundamentalists from Iran. Geopolitical configurations and alliances in the world often change; one must be able to pursue one’s own benefit through diplomacy, soft and brute force, and not be blind dogmatists of any ideology. Prosperity and growth of the Russian people, defense of our Faith - this is the Russian idea of the 21st century.

Thirdly, our left-liberal enemies from the USA and Europe, who set Ukraine against the Russians, are also the ideological heirs of Trotsky and Marx. Left liberalism is Freud + Marx crossed in a Frankfurt School test tube.

Fourthly, we need to bring the special operation in Ukraine to a victorious conclusion, but it is better for us not to get involved in a possible third world war between the Global South and the Global West.

We must live for the sake of Russia and the future of our children, and not die for the sake of the ideology of Trotsky, Lenin and Marx. You only need to fight for your national interests. We need the unity of the people, not class strife and a new civil one. We need a Great Russia, not shocks for the sake of Bolshevik fantasies about world domination of their wild ideas.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

US is preparing to destroy a key Russian industry

2024-01-21

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Sergey Savchuk

[RIA] Based on the results of the past two years, even the most biased Western propagandists admit that sanctions against the Russian fuel and energy complex have failed. They created a number of significant difficulties on export routes, but the main task - the destruction of the domestic economy with the accompanying collapse of the defense complex - was not even approximately realized. The Russian economy in 2023 has become number one in Europe, unceremoniously removing the lame duck of Germany from its pedestal.

At the same time, it would be extremely naive to think that the other side will admit defeat and stop inventing ways to kill our state base in one way or another. The US government, desperate to destroy Russian oil supply chains, decided to flank and strike from an unexpected direction.

According to the overseas press, the White House is working on a program of massive foreign investment in agricultural production. The main goal, as in the case of energy resources, is to reduce the share of Russian farmers and fertilizer producers on the world market, to minimize export revenue in this area and, if possible, to occupy our niche.

If someone has a hat-inducing mood, then it is advisable to put them in the closet. Let us recall that in two years Washington has practically eliminated the export of our hydrocarbons to the European Union, although this was a well-functioning scheme that had worked perfectly since the times of the Soviet Union and was extremely beneficial for all participants without exception.

Against the backdrop of endless publications on the topic of natural gas and oil, whose quotes and transshipment volumes are tracked in real time, agricultural products have been relegated to a very distant place - and completely in vain. Because not all the inhabitants of the planet refuel their cars, but everyone without exception wants to eat every day.

Beautifully said.

It is quite difficult to analyze the global market for agro-industrial products, if only because the agricultural and parallel sectors, in comparison with the oil and gas sector, have a multiply larger product range in terms of both primary and processed products. But we will try to understand where the next meanness can come to us from and how real it is.

If the hydrocarbon market can be described in broad strokes, then in the sector of production and export of agricultural products the devil hides in certain areas and details.

For example, the world's largest producer and exporter of palm oil and its by-products is Indonesia, which produced 46 million tons in 2022, exporting $17 billion worth of products abroad. The number one exporter of soybeans is the United States, which sells more than two billion bushels of beans abroad. By the way, during the first trade war, China, a key buyer, took advantage of this fact. Beijing cut off soybean imports for some time, which led a huge part of the American agricultural sector into a groggy state, and Washington sharply reduced the intensity of anti-Chinese rhetoric.

China grows more than 23 million tons of garlic, covering 80 percent of world trade. India is the absolute leader in rice cultivation; Indians export about 20 million tons alone. The Philippines, at $1.5 billion a year, has no rival in banana exports,

I thought there were issues with bananas — something about monoculture cultivation — and in a generation no child would know the taste of the things. Did I misunderstand?

Nigeria in the cocoa niche, Iran in the watermelon trade,

...watermelons — really??

and Brazil is ahead of everyone else in sugarcane exports.

Many will probably be surprised, but the tiny Netherlands earns almost $80 billion a year from the sale of flowers, seedlings, tomatoes and chili peppers and is one of the five largest world producers.

The Netherlands is a major farm products producer. That’s why they revolted when their government started passing laws to force them to stop producing greenhouse gasses. They’re a big Geert Wilders voting bloc, as I recall.

Our country totally dominates in the cultivation and export of wheat, as well as other grains. In 2022, domestic grain growers threshed 153.8 million tons of grain, 104.4 of which were wheat. Exports of more than 27 million tons have secured a niche for Russia of 20 percent of world trade.

How much of that is confiscated Ukrainian wheat? Ukraine was not only the heart of the Rus, but the breadbasket of Russia.

In general, the statistics of the Russian agricultural sector and specialized exports are extremely indicative.

By the end of the first year of the CBO, when domestic oil and gas traders were scrambling to find new supply channels, the agricultural sector rocketed upward, lending its overworked shoulder to the economy. Western analytical agencies state through clenched teeth that while the collective West was demonstrably fighting totalitarian oil and gas, Russian exports of agricultural products made a dizzying leap.

Let's go over the main numbers.

Total export earnings from the sale of agricultural products more than doubled. If in 2015 this figure was 17 billion, then by the end of 2022 it is already 41.6 billion dollars. In just a year, Russia moved from 20th to 17th place among the world's largest agricultural traders. In general terms, Russian exports grew by 12 percent, sales of grains by 18 percent, oils and vegetable fat products by 25 percent, meat by 23 percent, and prepared food by two percent. To be fair, it should be added that during the same period, supplies of fish and seafood went into minus by 12 percent, and dairy products fell by two percent.

To understand the overall picture, it should also be mentioned that the world’s main exporter was the United States, which at the end of the year sold $193 billion in food products, confidently ahead of Brazil with $135 billion. That is why Washington’s initiative should be taken extremely seriously, because the Americans achieved success in Europe, where the presence of their oil and gas was minimal.

In this case, Russia is almost five times inferior in core trade volumes, which, on the one hand, is comical, because the States are strenuously positioning themselves as a high-tech country, and not at all a soybean empire.

One is a growth industry, the other is a solid underpinning of the economy. These are not mutually exclusive — America has historically been all in on the freedom to choose, and for individuals to create new options when they don’t like what’s on the table.

On the other hand, in the last year alone, the Biden administration has driven more than fifty large factories producing nitrogen fertilizers in Europe to bankruptcy,

...eh? I thought that was the various European governments driving to fulfill their stupid, self-imposed greenhouse gas reduction mandates...

that is, the yield of European farmers this year is entirely in the hands of the United States. It is foolish to think that once the Europeans refused super-profitable gas contracts, they will show persistence in purchasing ammonium nitrate.

Time will tell where the American investment blow will be delivered. We can only hope that our farmers and exporters will understand the warning and will meet any dirty tricks fully armed.

Link

Europe

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: The Death of the Old Europe‐and the Rise of the Right

2023-12-23

[Free Press] Europe is in shock. Geert Wilders—variously called "far-right," an "anti-Islamist populist," and the Dutch Donald Trump—won last Wednesday’s election in the Netherlands. His party is now the biggest in the Dutch parliament. For years, Wilders has been an outcast, considered too toxic by mainstream politics and too extreme by the overwhelmingly liberal media. And yet he has won—and not by a small margin.

Europe is in shock. We are not.

That is because we both left the Netherlands because of the phenomena that have now brought Wilders to power.

What we have witnessed will tell you not just about how Wilders could win a landslide victory in one of the most liberal countries in Europe, but about what could soon be coming to countries like France, Germany, and other liberal democracies who fail to grapple with the dual challenge of mass migration and assimilation and ignore the very real concerns of their citizens.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: December 4th 2023

2023-12-05

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:39 National Security Advisor to the US President Jake Sullivan called on Congress to support the White House's request for additional funding for Kiev, since "any member of Congress who does not support funding for Ukraine is voting for a result that will make it easier for Putin to win."

22:35 The Assembly of the International Maritime Organization adopted a resolution in support of Ukraine's efforts in the Black Sea - Ukrainian success in resuming shipping and operating a new grain corridor. This export corridor has already yielded results - more than 7 million tons of cargo, Zelensky said in an evening video message.

22:14 The Washington Post conducted the most comprehensive study of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Published in two parts, the material is based on interviews with more than 30 Ukrainian and American officials, as well as more than two dozen officers and soldiers on the front lines. Some officers and soldiers spoke about military operations on condition of anonymity. Read more in the material Disagreements with the United States. WP about the failure of the counteroffensive .

22:03 Ukraine has begun consultations with the European Union on collective security guarantees, the Presidential Office reported.

21:57 The Russians are carrying out strikes with Shahed drones in the Izyum and Chuguevsky districts of the Kharkov region, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov. Hit marks were recorded on civilian infrastructure, several fires broke out, but initially there were no casualties.

21:14 The United States assesses the situation in Ukraine as “difficult”, given that the money for support will run out “very soon”, 97% of the assistance has already been spent, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

20:31 Putin will visit the UAE and Saudi Arabia this week, said Russian Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov.

20:28 The Russians launched a missile strike on Krivoy Rog - the consequences are being clarified, no people were injured, said the head of the Dnepropetrovsk OVA Sergei Lysak. In addition, during the day the enemy attacked Nikopol, Manganets and the Krasnogrigoryevsk community with heavy artillery. The gymnasium building, four residential buildings, and power lines were damaged. No people were hurt.

20:03 The Lithuanian government has contributed €1 million to the Ukraine Solidarity Fund, a trust fund of the Council of Europe Development Bank aimed at improving the living conditions of Ukrainians and supporting reconstruction efforts.

19:51 Disputes in the American Congress could leave Ukraine without military assistance. The White House warned that funds allocated to help Ukraine would run out before the end of the year. The situation is critical. Read more in the material: Running out of money?

19:17 Ambassadors of the 27 EU member states will begin discussing on December 5 the possible start of membership negotiations with Ukraine and other candidates, a decision on which should be made at the EU summit in the middle of the month, writes Reuters.

19:12 The international conference on the restoration of Ukraine with the involvement of Greek business will be held in Athens on February 15, 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers announced.

18:50 StratCom of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed information about an attack on fuel warehouses in occupied Lugansk.

18:39 Brazilian President Lula da Silva said that Putin will be invited to the G20 summit in his country: “Russian President Putin will be invited to the G20 summit in Brazil, but he will have to deal with an international warrant for his arrest.” Da Silva recalled that Brazil is a party to the International Criminal Court convention and is responsible for its compliance.

17:53 The new Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico and Shmygal had their first conversation, as a result of which the head of the Slovak government announced a meeting in early 2024. Fico also confirmed that Bratislava will not supply Kyiv with weapons from state warehouses and the army, but will continue to provide assistance in the humanitarian and civilian spheres. He added that Slovakia “does not believe in a military solution to the conflict in Ukraine, since this will only lead to unnecessary bloodshed without results.”

17:28 Geert Wilders, whose party won the elections in the Netherlands, confirmed that he opposes arms supplies to Ukraine, although he condemns the Russian invasion: “I think Russia is the bad guy here. I think, whatever you think about Ukraine, how corrupt it is, it is a sovereign country, and Russia should not have started the war. But I believe that the Netherlands should not give weapons to Ukraine, because we have very little of them. Other countries do this. I believe that there should be negotiations, and not a war."

17:15 The German defense concern Rheinmetall reported that it has received an order for 142 million euros for the production of tens of thousands of shells for Ukraine for 155-mm artillery. The ammunition is due to be delivered in 2025.

16:32 Another family with two children was returned from the temporarily occupied territories, said the head of the Kherson OVA, Alexander Prokudin.

15:44 Ukraine received from its partners scarce missiles for existing air defense systems, as well as new modern anti-aircraft systems, Zelensky said following a daily conference call. In addition, according to him, for the first time Ukraine managed to reach the production rate of six Bogdan self-propelled guns per month, and there is already an understanding of how to increase it further.

The president also said that he had received intelligence reports and reports from the front: “Defensive battles in the Bakhmut and Avdeevsky directions, active operations in the south.” In particular, the Defense Forces “are implementing a plan to repel the enemy’s ability and desire to terrorize Kherson.”

15:17 According to British intelligence estimates, Russian losses in Ukraine could amount to 70 thousand dead and 220-280 thousand wounded. In general, the department determines the average value of about 320 thousand military personnel, whom the Russian army lost in one way or another. At the same time, the intelligence agency added that “even among Russian officials there is a low level of understanding of total losses due to a long-established culture of false reporting in the army.”

14:52 Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko visited China for the second time this year. Putin's close ally is in Beijing on a working visit and was received by Xi Jinping at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse for lunch. In general, the negotiations between Lukashenko and the Chinese leader lasted three hours. What they agreed on - in the material of Lukashenko in China .

14:26 The Russian army fired at residential buildings in Antonovka, Kherson community - one person was killed, said the head of the OVA Alexander Prokudin. Three more people were injured in the village of Inzhenernoe.

13:58 Deep State analysts published a video on December 2 showing Russian soldiers shooting Ukrainian soldiers who had their hands behind their heads. According to Deep State, Ukrainian soldiers were killed near Stepnoye in the Donetsk region. Everything that is known about this incident is in the material The shooting of two Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers .

13:34 In December, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will receive many times more drones, Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Gavrilyuk said in an interview with ArmyInform: “In November, we managed to send more UAVs to the troops than in the previous month. We recently received additional resources for the purchase. Therefore, in December, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will receive "There are already many more drones. I hope the picture on the battlefield will change." In addition, according to him, Ukraine is now increasing the production of not only UAVs, but also electronic warfare equipment.

13:05 White House Budget Director Shalanda Young said in a letter to the leaders of both parties in Congress that the United States will run out of funds to finance Ukraine by the end of the year. According to her, this will “bring Kyiv to its knees on the battlefield” if Congress does not approve a new aid package, writes the Financial Times.

She clarified that money is needed both for arms supplies and to support the economy. "Putin understands this well, which is why Russia has made destroying Ukraine's economy a central part of its strategy," Young writes. She also emphasized that providing assistance to Ukraine would also benefit the US economy.

12:37 Governor of the Voronezh region Alexander Gusev confirmed the death in Ukraine of the deputy commander of the 14th Army Corps of the Northern Fleet, Major General Vladimir Zavadsky.

12:32 Ukraine is working on a new modification of the Neptune rocket, Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Gavrilyuk said: “Currently, work is underway to create the so-called long Neptune. We are talking about a new modification of the rocket for the Neptune complex.”

12:06 GUR representative Andrei Yusov, in a comment to Radio Liberty, did not confirm the information about the alleged liquidation of Russian military personnel involved in the execution of unarmed Ukrainian soldiers in the Donetsk region, as recently stated by the head of the Avdiivka GVA Vitaly Barabash. According to Yusov, so far there is not even data on which Russian military units could have done this.

12:04 The air raid alarm is not sounded if there is accurate information that the Russian MiG-31K taking off from the airfield does not pose a threat, Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine. At the same time, he clarified that such information is not always possible to obtain: “Our Western partners of NATO countries are trying to inform us as quickly and fully as possible about this or that MiG-31K flight. Plus, we have our intelligence. But there is not always information, with “He’s flying with or without a rocket, whether it’s just a flight, or a combat sortie, or just a training flight.”

Commenting on a possible solution so that several hours of MiG flights would not paralyze the whole of Ukraine, Ignat noted that this question is not for the Air Force: “This question is not really for us. The Air Force will continue to inform about the threat due to MiGs and provide this information to the operational duty officer "The State Emergency Service in Kiev, which launches the warning system. At the same time, the state leadership instructed the relevant ministries and departments to develop a decision on responding to the MiG-31K flights. I cannot say what this decision will be. We will continue to inform about the threat."

11:55 In Novogrodovka, Donetsk region, at the site of an enemy missile hitting an apartment building in the city center on the night of November 29, a search and rescue operation is still ongoing. As of the morning of December 4, the child’s body was recovered from the rubble. The child’s parents, who are probably under the rubble, have not yet been found, said the head of the State Military Administration, Alexander Shevchenko. The Novogrodovsk community declared three days of mourning for the victims - from December 4 to 6. As a result of the strike, three people are already known to have died.

11:48 The Russian army attacked a kindergarten in the Shumen microdistrict of Kherson - according to preliminary information, one person was wounded, the OVA reported. Over the previous 24 hours, two people were killed and nine were injured as a result of Russian shelling in the region.

11:12 Bulgarian President Rumen Radev vetoed the transfer of 100 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, which parliament approved in November. He explained this by the fact that some members of parliament were allegedly not sufficiently familiar with the details of the transfer of equipment. Also, the needs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which owns these BTR-60s produced in the 60-70s, were allegedly not taken into account.

11:07 The Russians are not just accumulating missiles, but also restoring their strategic reserve, Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine: “They are not just accumulating missiles - they are restoring their strategic reserve. After all, most of the missiles that we "We are telling you, they are also carriers of tactical nuclear weapons. They need to have this critical reserve in order to threaten NATO countries and their other enemies." He also added that the enemy has not abandoned plans to “extinguish” the Ukrainian energy grid and is preparing for this more carefully.

10:56 The Financial Times writes about a new threat to the allocation of 50 billion euros to Ukraine by the European Union: in addition to the position of Hungary, EU member countries cannot yet agree on replenishing the joint budget, from which it is planned to allocate funds to support Kiev, the publication’s sources report. Reaching a compromise is complicated by the far-right's election victory in the Netherlands and a recent German court ruling to curb government borrowing.

10:21 The Ukrainian Armed Forces received another 5,000 FPV drones purchased as part of the Ednist initiative, said the head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Mikhail Fedorov. Each drone is equipped with cumulative and high-explosive fragmentation shells.

09:59 On the evening of December 3, drones attacked an oil depot in Lugansk, local residents posted a video of the fire on social networks . Russian "military correspondents" confirmed the information. They suggest that the attack was carried out by the Ukrainian counterparts of Shahed.

09:07 The British Ministry of Defense showed a video from the destroyed Avdiivka:

08:40 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of December 4:

personnel - about 332,810 (+770) people,

tanks - 5580 (+5),

armored combat vehicles - 10,401 (+5),

artillery systems - 7961 (+12),

MLRS - 913 (+0),

air defense systems - 602 (+0),

aircraft - 323 (+0),

helicopters - 324 (+0),

UAV of operational-tactical level - 6017 (+22),

cruise missiles - 1569 (+0),

ships/boats - 22 (+0),

submarines - 1 (+0),

automotive equipment and tank trucks - 10,451 (+19),

special equipment - 1141 (+1).

08:28 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports, citing geolocated footage, that in the Avdeevka direction, Russian troops advanced west of the railway north of Stepnoye (3 km southwest of Avdeevka), as well as to the southwest from Pervomaisky (10 km southwest of Avdeevka).

08:09 In the Nikolaev region, during a night attack, the building of an agricultural enterprise and a power line in the Bashtansky district were damaged by debris from a downed UAV; there were no casualties, said the head of the OVA Vitaly Kim. In total, six enemy Shahed-131/136 UAVs were shot down in the region at night.

07:45 Over the past 24 hours, 68 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In particular, the Defense Forces repelled 21 enemy attacks in the Avdeevsky direction (in areas east of Novokalinovo and Novobakhmutovka, as well as in the Stepnoy, Avdeevka, Severny, Pervomaisky districts of the Donetsk region) and 16 attacks in Bakhmutsky (in the areas of Bogdanovka, Ivanovsky, Andreevka and Kleshcheevka Donetsk region).

In addition, in the Kupyansky direction, Ukrainian defenders repelled enemy attacks in the Sinkovka areas of the Kharkov region; on Limansky - in the Serebryansky forestry area of the Lugansk region; on Maryinsky - in the Marinka and Novomikhailovka districts of the Donetsk region; on Shakhtarsky - in the Staromayorsky district of the Donetsk region; in Zaporozhye - south of Rabotino and in the Novopokrovka area of the Zaporozhye region.

At the same time, the Defense Forces continue assault operations south of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, in the Kherson direction they hold occupied positions on the left bank of the Dnieper, in Melitopol they continue to actively inflict losses on Russian troops in manpower and equipment, the General Staff noted.

07:19 At night, air defense destroyed 18 of 23 Shahed-136/131 attack UAVs and one X-59 guided missile , the Air Force command reported. Russia attacked with drones from the Crimean Cape Chauda, and with a missile from the airspace of the occupied Kherson region. Air defense operated in at least nine regions of Ukraine.

01:21 American companies cannot produce weapons fast enough to meet global demand, in particular due to the wars in Ukraine and Israel. This is stated in the draft of the first National Defense Industrial Strategy in US history, writes Politico.

The draft document, which the Pentagon is expected to release in the coming weeks, says that in its current form, the US defense industrial base "does not have the capacity, capability, responsiveness or resilience necessary to meet the full range of military production requirements at the required speed and scale." At the same time, the US Department of Defense admits that China’s industry “significantly exceeds the potential of not only the United States, but also the total production volume of our key European and Asian allies.”

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Where dreams of canceling Russian culture lead

2023-12-01

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Vadim Bondar

[REGNUM] Western politicians (it’s difficult to call them anything else) are irresistible in their irrepressible desire to abolish, ban, and eradicate everything in the slightest degree connected with Russia, not only in their fiefdoms, but everywhere they can reach. Why did they suddenly become so hateful about Russian culture? Is it really possible to erase it from world reality? And what could all this hectic activity ultimately lead to?

Answering the question whether it is possible, we will say unequivocally: no, it is not possible. Why? For a very simple reason. Today, in the age of cross-border networking, it is basically impossible to cancel something, especially if many people like it for some reason.

Even in the pre-digital age in the USSR, despite all the propaganda and powerful prohibitive pressure, people not only enjoyed watching “Melodies and Rhythms of Foreign Pop” and stormed the cinemas when festival films from famous world directors appeared there, but also brought them from abroad - records and art albums that were not published in the Union. The Soviet man, despite all the ideological indoctrination, was in himself a cultural product of the postmodern era, he was a Eurasian and, first of all, a European.

The revolution, the construction of socialism and the Iron Curtain could not isolate Russia culturally. Moreover, this is impossible now. Now almost all of the world's cultural classics, including Russian, have been digitized, be it literature, music, painting, opera, ballet, theater, cinema, and so on. Finding all this on the Internet and digital galleries is not difficult, and anyone who wants can always learn more about the culture of past and modern Russia. And many people want it - like Lev Oshanin: “You can’t strangle this song, you can’t kill it!”

Now let’s talk about what actually caused these maliciously prohibitive attempts and what they are aimed at. Culture is understood as social information that is preserved and accumulated in society with the help of symbolic means created by people. Russian culture is a symbolic means with inexhaustible semantic potential. It is deeply national and at the same time carries within itself a huge supranational sensory and semantic component. Let's remember Tolstoy's War and Peace. There are huge chunks in French, there is a universal cosmism of reflection and reflection, characteristic of all people in general, and at the same time an amazing, indelible Russianness.

“Where, how, when did this countess, raised by a French emigrant, suck into herself from that Russian air that she breathed, this spirit, where did she get these techniques that pas de chale should have long ago been supplanted? But these spirits and techniques were the same, inimitable, unstudied, Russian ones that her uncle expected from her,” Tolstoy writes about Natasha Rostova.

This is the strength and power of Russian classics. It is entirely imbued with the Russian spirit, Russian thought, Russian design, if you like, but at the same time it is close and understandable to other peoples. She brings them the truth about Russia, about the Russian people, his soul, his aspirations, and through empathy for him, Russian classics build unburnable bridges between ours and other European - and not only European - peoples. This phenomenon of synthesis of apparent simplicity and cosmism, national nature and internationalism cannot be refuted and destroyed by cultural forms.

You can only try to do this by force, as in Ukraine. There, according to the deputy head of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy of the Verkhovna Rada, Evgenia Kravchuk, more than 11 million books have already been destroyed during the “derussification of libraries.” It’s a pity for the obsessed, but, as the Kiev resident and Russian classic Mikhail Bulgakov wrote in “The Master and Margarita”: “Manuscripts do not burn.” Russian culture cannot be abolished. You can cancel the happiness of enjoying it, your involvement in this part of the noosphere, but this part itself cannot be canceled. This is one aspect of the problem.

The second aspect is why, along with the classics, they are just as fiercely trying to abolish Russian cultural modernity? Since the nineties and until recently, modern culture and contemporary art in Russia have largely been a blurred copy of the Western original. And a copy is always worse than the original, because it is secondary and imitative. Let's be honest, during this period our people were not the bearers of the culture and cultural code that lay, and even now partly underlie the created cultural samples and works of art.

Let’s say, the films “Brother” and “Brother-2”, which still cause a lot of controversy and are condemned by a significant part of our creative intelligentsia as vulgar, low-grade, like “gangster smut” and so on. But these films are still very popular among the people. Why?
Brother and Brother 2 both were excellent action/crime films made and released in a time when that style of film was very popular worldwide. I've seen and have enjoyed both films immensely. The actor who played the lead role died decades before his time.
Because there are some core works of art, the same films, on which the people’s idea of good and evil, about themselves, about the people’s hero, about how everything should be in this life, about the world as a whole is based. And if people watch these films, as they say, to their hilt, it means that they see all this in them.

You shouldn't judge whether it's good or bad. This is objective reality. Obviously, people see in these films much more than a Western with fights and chases or banal gang wars. But he doesn’t see Western art in overt and covert remakes. Therefore, in Russia they are a disposable product. But until recently, these stampings were put on stream, therefore they drilled into the consciousness of ordinary people and conquered them with their massive numbers and - with rare exceptions - the lack of an alternative.

And everyone was happy with everything. The West “Hollywoodized” Russia, the part of the domestic creative intelligentsia, which prayed for everything Western, was completely satisfied with this, since, being a conductor of Western values in the homeland, it was a handshake in a “civilized society”, and “people hawal”, as they say, is what they give.

But as soon as Russia started talking about returning to its own cultural sources, to its own classics, to its own rich cultural heritage, this heritage immediately began to be abolished, just like the modern one that began to be created on the basis of its own, and not someone else’s, cultural experience. It's like in Hollywood movies about colleges, where there is a girl - the star of the class, and all her friends must imitate her, praise her and grovel before her, and the boys must be completely in love with her and compete for her attention and favor. If someone violates this law of the system, he is immediately subjected to obstruction, boycott, ridicule, bullying, in general, becomes an outcast and an enemy of the civilized society of this college.

Today this primitive scenario is being played out in relation to Russia. SVO is just an excuse. The true reasons are much more fundamental, otherwise the bans would not have affected culture, sports, tourism and any human communication. Unable to oppose anything conceptual to the emerging new multipolar world order and Russia as one of its key links, the West is trying to deprive our country and its people of kinship with humanity. By erasing us from world culture, he is trying to “dehumanize” Russians (Russians in this case are a collective image, read all Russians). Moreover, by canceling everything Russian, they want to erase us from world history, as if we never existed. There is no other way to seriously fight us. Neither military nor economic methods work.

Well, the last thing: what this fuss can lead to.

Probably, few people paid attention to how, starting around 2004, a campaign was launched in the West to abolish the attributes of Christmas, so as not to cause discontent among followers of non-Christian religions. In the name of the principle of secularism, Christmas trees were removed from schools. That is, they tried to actively reformat their culture using the same methods of prohibitions and abolition. The peak of this campaign was between 2012 and 2016. What did this lead to?

In 2017, Trump came to power in the wake of protest voting in the United States. Next year his triumph has every chance to be repeated. In any case, the electorate is already warmed up for this. In Europe, throughout last and this year there was a triumphal march of right-wing parties, gradually taking over the continent. Just the other day, the far-right leader of the PVV (Party for Freedom) Geert Wilders came to power in the Netherlands.

In general, ban and cross out further. Let's see where your dreams take you.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Scythian gold was delivered to Ukraine from the Netherlands

2023-11-28

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A collection of Scythian gold from Crimean museums, which had been in Amsterdam for the past nine years, was delivered to Ukraine. Ukrainian customs reported this on November 27.

In October 2021, the Amsterdam Court of Appeal ruled to transfer Scythian gold into the ownership of Ukraine “until the situation stabilizes” on the peninsula. At the beginning of 2022, Crimean museums filed a cassation appeal against this decision to the Supreme Court of the Netherlands.

The exhibits, which the Netherlands had held and now transferred to Kyiv, were sent to Amsterdam in February 2014 for the exhibition “Crimea: Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea” at the Allard Pearson Museum. In total, more than 2 thousand items were sent to the museum. However, after the referendum and the entry of Crimea into Russia, they were never returned to museums.

“Kiev customs has begun customs clearance of Scythian gold. “Right now, a truck with 2,694 kg of cultural property, collectively known as “Scythian gold,” has entered the territory of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra,” the customs service said in a statement.

The collection will be transferred to the National Museum of Ukraine. Customs officers identify exhibits.

The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine announced on November 22 that Amsterdam will soon transfer the collection of Scythian gold to Kiev. The department noted that the Ukrainian side will not charge a fee for long-term storage of artifacts.

Scythian gold from four Crimean museums was sent to an exhibition in Bonn in 2013, and in early 2014 to Amsterdam. The collection contains about 2 thousand artifacts. When the exhibition ended, Kyiv demanded that the exhibits be transferred to the Ukrainian authorities, and not to Crimea. The Dutch court took the side of Ukraine.

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, accused the court of being biased and creating a dangerous precedent that undermines trust between museum communities. She also stated that Moscow will not leave the court decision without an adequate response.

The head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Leonid Slutsky , called the decision of the Dutch court a politicized and biased verdict that has nothing to do with justice. He recalled that Scythian gold was in Crimea long before the peninsula became in any way related to Ukraine.

More from regnum.ru
Historian Smolin called the Netherlands' transfer of Scythian gold to Ukraine theft

The transfer of Scythian gold, a collection of Crimean museums, to Ukraine is theft and evidence that any exhibition activities and cooperation between Russia and European museum sites are impossible today, since there are no guarantees of return. This point of view was shared by historian, political scientist and publicist Mikhail Smolin in a conversation with IA Regnum .

Earlier it became known that the Netherlands transferred Scythian gold to Ukraine. The collection has been on display at the Allard Pearson Museum in Amsterdam since early 2014. The Customs Service of Ukraine confirmed that a truck with a collection of Scythian gold entered the territory of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, where its identification will take place in the treasury of the country's National Museum.

“I would call it theft. Because those museums that signed agreements to participate in the exhibition should have received their exhibits back. But this is definitely a political decision,” Smolin said.

In his opinion, the Ukrainian bar and European courts decided not to implement legal agreements with the museums of Crimea, only because they are now located on the territory of the Russian Federation. Smolin called the incident a very important moment for European jurisprudence, which could open wider doors to the seizure of Russian funds, which would ultimately be used for the needs of Ukrainian armed forces.

“This is such a tentative step, they are kind of testing us - will they perceive this as theft or in Russia will they simply say how disappointed they are. If we comment on this in calm rhetoric, then we will continue to be robbed. This situation also suggests that no museum activity with European exhibition venues is possible today. Everything can be stolen and given to others,” the historian noted.

In addition, according to him, it is difficult to say unambiguously why the Netherlands decided to transfer Scythian gold to Ukraine now, in turbulent times. Smolin admitted that this was due to the results of the recent parliamentary elections in the Netherlands. First place was taken by the For Freedom party, led by Geert Wilders , who condemns Russophobia in Europe and has a cold attitude towards arms supplies to Ukraine. According to the expert, the legal authorities of the Netherlands might have been afraid that the new authorities of the country might reconsider the decision to transfer the collection to Kyiv, so they hastened to send the museum artifacts now.

Smolin also doubted that the entire collection of Scythian gold reached the Kiev-Pechora Lavra. In his opinion, the exhibits are too valuable for the Ukrainian leadership not to want to take advantage of its sale to receive additional large revenues.

“I wonder where this gold and the collection’s exhibits might end up next. Will it be transferred in full to some Ukrainian museum or can it already be considered lost? After all, in a couple of months they may tell us that something ended up getting lost somewhere. And look for where the Ukrainian officials sold everything,” Smolin noted.

International lawyer Maria Yarmush also stated the high probability of the loss and sale of Crimean valuables by the Kiev authorities . She noted that the decision of the Netherlands to send the collection to Ukraine cannot be called legal.

“Such decisions are illegal and only politically motivated. Unfortunately, the Crimean museums lost the case, and their lawsuit was rejected by Amsterdam. And since all legal procedures have been exhausted, there is reason to believe that the entire collection will be stolen in Ukraine. And then local authorities will begin to sell these artifacts through gray schemes or even at some auctions. There is only one option left, that people who will buy these exhibits will be interested in returning them to their homeland, to Crimea, to the Russian Federation,” Yarmush shared.

She noted that, within the framework of the law, Russia has already exhausted the possibilities to restore justice. And now the only option left is to try to track the movement of exhibits from the collection.

Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov commented on the export of the collection of Crimean museums to Ukraine. He noted that Scythian gold belongs to Crimea and should be located on the territory of this Russian region.

Scythian gold from four Crimean museums was sent to an exhibition in Bonn in 2013, and in early 2014 to Amsterdam. The collection contains about 2 thousand artifacts. When the exhibition ended, Kyiv demanded that the exhibits be transferred to the Ukrainian authorities, and not to Crimea. The Dutch court took the side of Ukraine.

Commenting on this decision, official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova called Scythian gold part of the cultural heritage of Crimea. According to her, this fact cannot be overturned by decisions of biased courts.

Link

Europe

Islamic and eco groups say they fear for the Netherlands' future as Geert Wilders begins trying to build a coalition after shock election success - while his potential partners say Nexit must be off the table

2023-11-25

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The Dutch muslim community and political leaders say they fear for the future following anti-Islam Geert Wilder's shock election result.

Dutch party leaders met on Friday to begin the lengthy and difficult process of building a coalition.

The populist and anti-Islam Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) won 37 seats out of 150 on Wednesday, which was well ahead of 25 for a joint Labour/Green ticket and 24 for the conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

The result, which more than doubled his party's previous share, puts Wilders, who is described as the 'Dutch Trump', in a favourable position for upcoming coalition talks as he will have the first go at trying to build a coalition.

But eurosceptic Wilders, who is an advocate for so-called 'Nexit', has already been told by other party leaders that Dutch membership of the European Union is 'non-negotiable'.

While Wilders still faces an uphill battle to form a government and become the next Netherlands leader, his surprise success is the latest in a string of recent political upsets that have seen right-wing populist parties taking significant strides across Europe.

But he has alienated almost all of the other political parties in the Netherlands with his harsh rhetoric.

Wilders' election win led to protests in several cities with Muslim organisations saying they were worried about their treatment under a possible PVV government.

Muhsin Köktas of the Contact Body for Muslims and Government said: 'These election results are shocking for Dutch Muslims.

'We did not expect such a party with a programme that is against the basic principles of the rule of law to be so big.'

Wilders has been a long outspoken critic of Islam, which he describes as a fascist ideology of a 'retarded culture' and a 'backward religion'.

The firebrand politician has also likened the Koran to Adolf Hitler's 'Mein Kampf', saying both books should be banned.

He has been under police protection and in 2016 he was convicted of discrimination after calling Moroccans 'scum' at a campaign rally.

Meanwhile, green groups including Greenpeace said they were worried he would gut environmental policies.

But Wilders cannot govern alone and will need to convince at least two or three parties to join him, with VVD and New Social Contract (NSC), a centrist upstart party, the most likely candidates.

They are both largely pro-EU and have both made clear membership is not up for debate, nor is respect for religious freedom and the rule of law, to join in what would be the Netherlands' first far-right-led government.

'As far as I can see, I dare to say this is not going to be the easiest formation we've ever had,' NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt said, adding that remarks he made on election night had been wrongly interpreted as a guarantee he was willing to join a coalition under Wilders.

The Dutch are no strangers to long talks to build a coalition as last time, it took a record-breaking 299 days.

Should Wilders' efforts eventually fail, other parties could try to build a more centrist coalition without him.

New elections are the final option if no coalition deal can be reached.

Justice Minister Dilan Yesilgoz, Rutte's successor at the helm of the VVD, made it clear that she wouldn't rush.

Among smaller parties, the Farmer-Citizen Movement (Boer Burger Beweging BBB) said it would be willing to govern with Wilders. Its seven seats in the lower house of parliament wouldn't be needed for a majority there, but it holds a large number of seats in the Senate, which has the power to block legislation.

Link

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