Forza Europa: Wilders and Danish People’s Party Discuss Cooperation
From the desk of Thomas Landen on Tue, 2008-06-03 11:39
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/3310Dutch politician Geert Wilders, the maker of the anti-Koran movie Fitna, received a standing ovation after a speech he gave on Sunday in the Danish Parliament. Wilders was in Copenhagen at the invitation of the Danish Free Press Association (Trykkefrihedsselskabet). The speech was attended by the leaders of the Dansk Folkeparti (DF, Danish People’s Party), a conservative party that defends Danish national identity and sovereignty. The DF is the third largest party in Denmark. It supports a minority government of Conservatives and Liberals in exchange for strict immigration policies. Last Saturday, Wilders lunched with Pia Kjaersgaard, the DF leader.
The Dutch politician also met Kurt Westergaard, the Danish cartoonist whom Muslim extremists aim to assassinate because he drew a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad. Westergaard had criticised Wilders for using his cartoon in the Fitna movie without asking the artist’s permission. Wilders said he had a very pleasant conversation with Westergaard, whom he invited to the Netherlands.
In the Danish Parliament Wilders spoke to a packed audience. He told them that he and DF leader Kjaersgaard discussed ways to establish “informal cooperation between likeminded parties in Europe.” In an interview with Dutch radio after the meeting Wilders explained that it is important that the leaders of parties who defend European identity and national sovereignty meet before the EU summits to discuss a common strategy. “If we coordinate our actions our impact on the governments at home will be bigger,” he said. The sovereignty of the European nations is being eroded by the attempts of the European political establishment to transform the European union into a superstate.
Yesterday, the Belgian newspaper De Standaard quoted Wilders as saying that he hopes contacts can be established between the parties which want to
stop “the flow of Muslims to Europe” and the “growing Islamization of the West” but which do this in a civilized manner.
“We are not considering contacts with extremist parties such as those of Le Pen,” Wilders said. The politician did not want to elaborate further and refused to answer De Standaard’s question whether he had already been in contact with the Flemish-secessionist, Eurosceptic and anti-Islamisation Vlaams Belang party in Belgium. “These are only the first steps. Vlaams Belang? No, Belgium is not on the agenda yet.”
Wilders’ recent announcement that he intends to run for the European elections in June next year is eliciting nervous reactions among the Dutch establishment parties. The Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad reports today that the other parties want to bring very strong candidates in the field to counter Wilders. “[We need] a real heavyweight. Perhaps a former minister,” a spokesman of the Liberal Party told the paper.
Topic: Forza Europa (Read 1891 times)