One Dutch politician, Geert Wilders, is holding out, as all around him become rhinoceri. From Expatica, with thanks to Susan:
"Turkey is an Islamic country and as such doesn't belong in the EU. I'd sooner let Australia or Canada join," says Wilders who was thrown out of the Liberal VVD party (part of the coalition government) last month because of his vociferous refusal to toe the party line on Turkey's admission to EU.Undaunted and unrepentant, Wilders immediately formed the one-man faction 'Groep Wilders', but a poll on 14 September indicated he would win 12 seats if an election was held now. According to a recent NIPO poll, 41% of the Dutch population are against Turkey's membership and 21% for (with another 30% are neutral).
Wilders has also received his fair share of negative reactions. The latest is an unconvincing death threat in the form of a poster on an internet site. The text reads "no vote for this racist." and "six bullets will kill him". It was supposedly put on an internet site by the unlikely sounding "International Stalinists".
The Dutch government, currently EU president, has been extremely low profile on the issue of Turkey's admission to the EU. A spokesman said the Netherlands will support negotiations if Turkey has met the so-called Copenhagen Criteria (a set of conditions on issues such as an improvement in human rights, legal and economic reforms).
Wilders' main objection to Turkey's EU membership is a fear that such a move will increase the number of Turkish immigrants into Europe, and especially to the Netherlands where Turks make up the country's biggest immigrant group (352,000 in a total population of 16 million).
Wilders: "The flow [of Turks] is already too big. Some 30,000 non-Western people come into the Netherlands every year on the basis of marriage and family unification alone! I want to forbid this for the coming five years.
"There is a big problem with the integration of immigrants already in Holland. They top the list in terms of criminality, unemployment, welfare payments, domestic violence... these are just objective facts." And the situation will not, said Wilders, be helped if Turkey is allowed to join the EU. "Let us concentrate on solving the problems with the immigrants already here properly."His second objection is that Turkey's membership would cost the Dutch tax-payer" even more money. Netherlands is already one of the EU's highest contributors and according to Fischer Turkey's membership would cost 11 billion euros in agricultural subsidies alone!"
Wilders' third objection is that allowing Turkey to join would set a precedent for other non-Western countries to become members: "Before we know, we will have an Islamic EU. I don't want that."
He is also concerned that Turkey will be the EU's biggest member in terms of national population in 10-20 years time and as such (under the new EU constitution) it will have a major voice in forming new legislation. "I don't want Turkey to influence legislation in Europe, let alone in the Netherlands".
Wilders dismisses the idea that Turkey could create a bridge between two cultures, saying that it has no influence and "bad relations" with its Islamic neighbours.Wilders is unashamedly anti-Islam. Murdered populist Like Pim Fortuyn - a man he is often compared with - he describes Muslims as backward in terms of their political culture. Muslims, he says, must adhere to Western norms and values because these come from a "higher, better, nicer and more human civilization."
This sounds harsh to Western multiculti ears. But compare the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the norms of the Sharia, and get back to me.
Muslims, he says, must adhere to Western norms and values because these come from a "higher, better, nicer and more human civilization."
This sounds harsh to Western multiculti ears. But compare the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the norms of the Sharia, and get back to me.
Any country that graciously welcomes immigrants into their society has a right to expect that these immigrants will peacefully respect the laws, institutions and traditions of the society they seek to join. Immigration is not a right, it is a privilege. Anyone who cannot abide by these expectations does not have the right to burden their host country with their intolerance or violent behavior. There is nothing unreasonable or harsh about this, in fact, it is supported by the UDHR and the ICCPR in their prohibitions on the incitement of discrimination, hostility and violence. This isn't anti-immigration or anti-muslim, it is pro human rights.
How can people call this man a racist? Some people don't understand the difference between race and culture. Race is something a person can't control, and hating someone for their race is obviously wrong. Races are equal, cultures are not. Wilders, like the people here, are against the culture of the Islamists. Who's killing people in the Sudan because they're black? Who calls for "Death to infidels" and dances in the street when innocent people are deliberatly murdered? Wilders is standing up for Western civilization, which is in favor of liberty and tolerance. And by tolerance I mean respect for people who are different but still value life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as opposed to blind acceptance of everyone, even genocidal maniacs.
P.S.- I've been looking at this site for a while, but just registered to post today. You're doing the world a real service by bringing to light the hatred and atrocities committed on the name of a "religion of peace", and of the westerners who are aiding and abetting them in the name of "diversity" or "multiculturalism."
What if other Islamic countries want to join the EU?
With Turkey as a member they can effectively lobby to bring in other Islamic countries.
I hate Chirac and all those who allowed these muslims to come into the EU.
Go Wilders Go!
'W' stands for ..... Wilders! Well, at least in holland, it does. (:-)
Megan,i have also ,just like you,followed the articles and comments on this site,for some time,before i started to post comments of my own.
You are right when you say that this site is doing the world a great service,by bringing to light the dangers of islam.
The least you can do,just like i did,is to turn a few of your friends to this site and to help them open their eyes and see the dangers that the western civilization is facing from the muslim fanatics.
God bless America.
"I'd sooner let Australia or Canada join," says Wilders..."
Thanks, but no thanks, speaking on behalf of Oz. Joining the EU, we'd have to open our doors willy nilly like the EU to every "refugee" with their hand out. Because that'd be the PeeCee thing to do. I like our closed door policy. Lock 'em up til they're sorted out. Stopped the boats quick smart, nicely back in 2001. We only have to deal with the liars and cheats we currently have, the ones who arrived during the previous lax policy, versus having to deal with thousands upon thousands upon thousands that we would have got since 2001. Wilders sounds like a good sort but the rest of his group are a bit iffy. Canada might be more their style. Afterall they too let them all in, few questions asked.
Hopefully tomorrow's election result won't send my country careening towards a EU/Canadian type disaster. Go Howard!
Well, if the Human Rights Declaration is not better than the Sharia, according to the PC folks (hence the quotation marks, I suppose?), then why not just delete the crap, say sorry, that was just such a stupid Western imperialist Eurocentric idea that all people should have some kind of basic rights, let's just all forget about it, ok?
Actually, it will be interesting to see where Europe is going on these issues. I have a feeling that people in Holland, Norway, Denmark (at least) are getting enough of the combination of Muslim fanaticism on the one hand and public PC Islamophilia on the other. Oficially, mainstream politicians and media still dismiss people like Wilders as extreme right wing racists, but as they see how much support they gain from the public, maybe at least the politicians (if not the media) will have to reconsider their position on these issues (if not on people who bring them up) - if they wanna compete for the votes?
Scandie is on to something. It's noticeable how the British National Party were going nowhere until they started attacking islam and the muslim jihad . Since then they won almost 1,000,000 votes in the last national elections. Recently the dhimmi BBC did an attack job on them using hidden cameras and revealed that some BNP members didn't like muslims ! Shock horror. This BBC "exposure" of the anti-immigration party was supposed to damage them but since the programme was broadcast the BNP have won over 50% of the votes in two local council elections - both in areas with fast growing muslim minorities. The government too are getting spooked by the BNP's growing popularity - recently they forced the police force to sack any officers belonging to the BNP (this despite the fact that it is a legal, democratic party!) and are now trying to force the civil service to also dismiss any BNP supporters. (This is the first time in British history that belonging to a legal political party has been grounds for dismissal from one's job) Although the BNP have been around for almost twenty years it's only since they started drawing people's attention to the dangers of islam and muslim immigration that the establishment have suddenly started these attacks on them. The powers-that-be are obviously worried that the silent mass of the British people are finally starting to wake up.....and all they can do in reply is try and destroy our democratic freedoms in order to protect the jihadists amongst us..