Politics will never be the same, Dutch far-right leader Wilders says after Trump victory

Record ID: 79425

  • Title: Politics will never be the same, Dutch far-right leader Wilders says after Trump victory
  • Date: 9th November 2016
  • Summary: THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS (NOVEMBER 9, 2016) (REUTERS) DUTCH FAR-RIGHT POLITICIAN AND LEADER OF FREEDOM PARTY, GEERT WILDERS, ARRIVING TO SPEAK TO JOURNALISTS WILDERS WITH JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DUTCH FAR-RIGHT POLITICIAN AND LEADER OF FREEDOM PARTY, GEERT WILDERS, SAYING: "America is the most important and strong country in the whole world, and people see now that if a people come into movement, that things can change, that the strength of the people is far stronger, far heavier than the strength of the other politicians. So, I certainly believe that it will be an enormous incentive for the common people to say: 'hey, it's possible, what can happen in America, can happen in Europe, can happen in the Netherlands as well', so I am sure it will have a positive effect." WILDERS WITH JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DUTCH FAR-RIGHT POLITICIAN AND LEADER OF FREEDOM PARTY, GEERT WILDERS, SAYING: "I think it was an historic day yesterday, and Mr. Trump winning the elections proved to me that the people are fed up - and this is the answer to your question of what is happening with politically correct politicians who are concerned and involved with issues that regard themselves, but not the issues that are important to the public, to their voters. There is an enormous gap between the politicians and the vox populi, what people really want and think. Like Mr. Trump, who was involved in his movement against the negative aspects of immigration, or globalisation and the loss of jobs, or law and order, issues that even within the Republican Party people and politicians did not address. They were concerned about totally different issues that, especially in America, the blue collar people did not find very attractive or interesting, or were not seen as their most important problems. Well the same is happening here in Europe today." WILDERS SURROUNDED BY JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DUTCH FAR-RIGHT POLITICIAN AND LEADER OF FREEDOM PARTY, GEERT WILDERS, SAYING: "That's why it's historic yesterday, the winning of Donald J. Trump, that politics will never be the same, and I believe that - where people, a people move and get into action, yesterday showed, and that is what I will tell my voters, that everything is possible and this will not stop. You see the same movement in most of the other European countries and it is an enormous incentive that Donald J. Trump won the elections yesterday for all of us freedom and patriotic-loving people." WILDERS WITH JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) DUTCH FAR-RIGHT POLITICIAN AND LEADER OF FREEDOM PARTY, GEERT WILDERS, SAYING: "The issues are sometimes indeed the same but more important is that people feel not represented by the people they elected. And they fear that and they see that if they call themselves patriots, if they want a leader that is more concerned about his own people that elected him to any other people, that they are labelled either as racists, or bigots or idiots or not politically correct persons or movement. And what you saw yesterday happening in America is that's the first time that people are not impressed by it anymore. They voted as they wanted to vote, they were immune to the negative labelling of either the press or the politically correct politicians, and they voted as they wanted to vote, because they thought and they believed that Mr. Trump will address the problems - as the only politician in America - that nobody else would." WILDERS WITH JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Dutch) DUTCH FAR-RIGHT POLITICIAN AND LEADER OF FREEDOM PARTY, GEERT WILDERS, SAYING: "I think it has a huge significance because the example of Trump's victory shows that if people gain momentum, if a population says we no longer want politicians who do not represent our interests - we want the politicians who dare to discuss and seek solutions to problems like immigration, loss of jobs, security and giving jobs to our own people rather than to asylum seekers and politicians who don't label us as racists and idiots. What happened in America yesterday showed that if the population is fed up they can bring change and choose other politicians, I am convinced that this will be an enormous incentive for many people in the Netherlands and Europe to show that we can conquer the political elite and liberate Europe and the Netherlands." WILDERS WITH JOURNALISTS
  • Embargoed: 24th November 2016 13:51
  • Keywords: Geert Wilders Donald Trump elections USA presidential elections
  • Location: THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS
  • City: THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS
  • Country: Netherlands
  • Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA00157Q643R
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders said on Wednesday (November 9) Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election would boost support for populist parties in Europe like his own.
    Wilders, whose anti-immigration, anti-Muslim Freedom Party tops polls ahead of next year's parliamentary elections, said mainstream politicians had lost the trust of voters in the West by ignoring the issues they cared most about.
    "I think it was an historic day yesterday, and Mr. Trump winning the elections proved to me that the people are fed up...There is an enormous gap between the politicians and the vox populi, what people really want and think. Like Mr. Trump, who was involved in his movement against the negative aspects of immigration, or globalisation and the loss of jobs, or law and order, issues that even within the Republican Party people and politicians did not address. They were concerned about totally different issues that, especially in America, the blue collar people did not find very attractive or interesting, or were not seen as their most important problems. Well the same is happening here in Europe today," Wilders told reporters.
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