Party for Freedom

{{bronze}}{{hatnote|Not to be confused with the equally batshit [[Australia]]n [[Party For Freedom (Australia)|Party For Freedom]].}}[[File:PFF logo.png|Logo of the PFF.|thumb|200 px]]
{{politics}}{{Islamophobia}}

{{cquote|[People who vote PVV] often see a higher number while standing on their scales than when receiving the results of an IQ test they took.|||Tim Meijer<ref>{{cite news|last1=Meijer|first1=Tim|title=[http://mareonline.nl/archive/2015/10/28/column-tolerantie Tolerantie]|accessdate=1 November 2015|work=Mare|volume=39|issue=8|paget=16|date=29 October 2015|language=Dutch}}</ref>}}

The '''Party For Freedom''' (Dutch: ''Partij Voor de Vrijheid'', or '''PVV''') is an ironically named batshit [[populist]] [[right-wing]] political party in the [[Netherlands]], founded and led by [[Geert Wilders]]. The party is known for its harsh anti-immigration policy, anti-[[Euro]] stance, expressions of [[Islamophobia]], and [[climate change denial]]. The PVV currently holds 37 of the 150 seats in the Dutch Lower House, and 6 in the European Parliament.

It's difficult to tell where "Geert Wilders" stops and the PVV begins. Wilders is the sole member of the party, and sets all policy (unlike other parties, where such processes are more democratic). It was originally named ''Group Wilders''.<ref name=PDC>{{cite web|author1=Parlementair Documentatie Centrum Universiteit Leiden|title=[http://www.europa-nu.nl/id/vg09llkg6xvb/g_geert_wilders G. (Geert) Wilders]|accessdate=9 June 2014}}</ref> Stating that "PVV's views on ..." and "Wilders' views on ..." are ''usually'', but not always, equivalent.

==Ideology and policies==
===Immigration===
====Islam====
The PVV doesn't like [[Islam]], [[Muslims]], or pretty much ''anything'' from the Middle-East, except [[Israel]]. According to them, Islam is not a religion, but a fascist ideology of global conquest<ref name=SPLC>{{cite web|last1=Scherr|first1=Sonia|date=20 October 2009|title=[http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2009/10/20/dutch-lawmaker-brings-his-anti-muslim-spiel-to-us/ SPLC: Dutch lawmaker brings his anti-Muslim spiel to us]}}</ref>, which means that according to Wilders, it is not protected under the Dutch constitution's [[freedom of religion]]. Wilders repeatedly [[Godwin's Law|compares the Qur'an to ''Mein Kampf'']].<ref name = "PDC"/> He does not accept any distinction between Islam and [[Islamism|Islam''ism'']], and says there is 'no moderate Islam'.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Otto|first1=Jan Michiel|last2=Wiegers|first2=Gerard|title=[http://www.ikonrtv.nl/uploads/uploadedDocs/islam2.pdf Waarheid van Wilders “Er bestaat geen gematigde Islam”]}}</ref> The PVV's views on Islam are pretty much [[fractal wrongness|fractally wrong]].

One of the most repeated claims is that the Netherlands (and Europe in general) is enduring a "tsunami of Islam" and is quickly undergoing "Islamification"<ref>.{{cite news|last1=Hoove|first1=Sanne ten|last2=Pré|first2=Raoul du|date=6 October 2006|title=[http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/wilders-bang-voor-tsunami-van-islamisering~a786026/ Wilders bang voor 'tsunami van islamisering']}}</ref> This is just ''plain wrong''; about 4% of the Dutch population is Muslim<ref name=CBS>{{cite report|author1=Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek|date=21 December 2012|title=[http://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/themas/vrije-tijd-cultuur/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3759-wm.htm Een op de zes bezoekt regelmatig kerk of moskee]}}</ref>, and most of those are of Turkish or Moroccan descent<ref>{{cite report|author1=Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek|date=2009|title=[http://www.cbs.nl/NR/rdonlyres/953535E3-9D25-4C28-A70D-7A4AEEA76E27/0/2008e16pub.pdf Religie aan het begin van de 21ste eeuw]}} p. 38</ref>, not of Arab decent. Of those 4%, only about 50% regularly visit a religious service.<ref name="kaart">{{cite report|last1=Schmeets|first1=Hans|date=September 2014|title=[http://www.bd.nl/polopoly_fs/1.4584011.1413549755!/menu/standard/file/relegieuzekaart.pdf De religieuze kaart van Nederland 2010–2013]}} p. 5–6</ref> Furthermore, the absolute number of Muslims ''decreased'' in the Netherlands since 2004,<ref name=CBS/> which some people of course deny by sticking their head in the sand and say this a politically correct [[conspiracy]], or something or the other.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Politalk|date=16 December 2014|title=[http://www.politalk.nl/2014/12/16/vreemde-cbs-cijfers-over-aantal-moslims-in-nederland/ Vreemde CBS-cijfers over aantal moslims in Nederland]}}</ref>{{efn|It should be pointed out that there is no census in the Netherlands, so this sort of data isn't just "on file" with the government. Until 2004, the Dutch statistics bureau (CBS) basically just guessed this data based on the number of churches/mosques, ethnicity, etc. From 2006, this was changed to the radical concept of ''asking people'' about this sort of stuff. This is only a poll, but with 10,000 participants yearly it should be representative and more accurate than guessing.}}
To be fair, there is some regional variation, with some provinces going as low as 0.5%, others as "high" as 7.4%, and Amsterdam being as high as 17%, but this hardly a "tsunami", and there is not ''that much'' growth, and unlike [[Mormonism|some]] [[Jehovah's Witnesses|other]] imported religions, at least Islam doesn't have door-to-door preachers.

Its name notwithstanding, the PVV wants to impose all sorts of restrictions on Islam such as an immediate stop on all migrants from majority-Muslim ''countries'' (advocating a ban on ''individual'' Muslim migrants would be illegal). The [[irony]] that this would mean preventing [[Christianity|Christians]], [[Judaism|Jews]], [[agnosticism|agnostics]], or [[atheism|atheists]] who might be persecuted in majority-Muslim countries from seeking refuge in the Netherlands must be lost on Wilders. They also want to restrict the practice of Islam in the Netherlands, by banning the Koran, and closing (and banning) all Islamic schools ("fascist institutions"<ref name=SPLC/>), and mosques.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Seegers|first1=Jules|date=27 November 2014|title=[http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2014/11/27/onbenullige-pvv-overschrijdt-nieuwe-grenzen/ Asscher: onbenullige PVV overschrijdt nieuwe grenzen]}}</ref> The party also wants a ban on [[Sharia law]].

====European refugee crisis====
In the ongoing refugee crisis the PVV is calling to "close the border" and calls refugees "the downfall of the country."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Fritsma|first1=Sietse|date=23 September 2015|title=[http://pvv.nl/index.php/46-fj-related/sietse-fritsma/8642-inbreng-sietse-fritsma-debat-over-het-europees-overleg-over-het-gemeenschappelijk-asielbeleid.html INBRENG SIETSE FRITSMA - DEBAT OVER HET EUROPEES OVERLEG OVER HET GEMEENSCHAPPELIJK ASIELBELEID]}}</ref>

Wilders, meanwhile, dubbed the male refugees "testosterone bombs" "threatening our girls",<ref name=Nu.nl1>{{cite news|last1=Bhikhie|first1=Avinash|date=17 September 2015|title=[http://www.nu.nl/politiek/4127695/zware-botsing-wilders-en-pechtold-nepparlement.html Zware botsing Wilders en Pechtold om 'nepparlement']|work=NU.nl|accessdate=18 October 2015}}</ref> which his colleagues in Parliament did not much appreciate. In that same speech, he also termed the Dutch House of Representatives a "fake parliament"<ref name=Nu.nl1/> and thought he himself was the only true representative of the Dutch people. Labour Party (PvdA) member Jan Vos stated on Twitter that Wilders' speech was "openly fascist"<ref>{{cite web|last1=Vos|first1=Jan|date=17 September 2015|title=[https://twitter.com/janvos_pvda/status/644580653699346432 slottekst wilders toont openlijk kenmerken van fascistoïde leiderschap: 't parlement is nep en 't volk moet in verzet: weg met de democratie]|work=Twitter.com|accessdate=retrieved 18 October 2015}}</ref>

===Anti-EU===
The PVV pushes strong [[Euroscepticism]], viewing the [[European Union]] (EU) as anti-democratic and an infringement to national sovereignty, and wants to leave both the EU and the [[Euro]] immediately.<ref>{{cite report|author1=Partij voor de Vrijheid|date=2012|title=[http://pvv.nl/images/stories/verkiezingen2012/VerkiezingsProgramma-PVV-2012-final-web.pdf Verkiezingsprogramma PVV 2012 - 2017]|pages=10-17}}</ref>

The claim that the EU is anti-[[democratic]] is not completely without merit; but it's not ''that'' different from most democracies: a parliament is elected every ''n'' years, and can then basically do whatever they want. There are many points of criticism one can level at this, but they ''also'' apply to national parliaments, since they work the same way. The PVV ''doesn't'' really have any valid criticism on this point, but just rants and raves against "European elites" and "Europhiles". In other words, they may be right for the wrong reasons.

Similarly, on the topic of national sovereignty the PVV mostly just complains about the EU's immigration directives, leaving the [[Islamophobia|door open to evil Muslims looking to kill freedom]] or because the [[anti-environmentalism|economy suffers due to CO2-emission laws]]. There are almost no argument of intellectual value, even though they ''do'' exist, and have been put forward ... by other people.

One must also wonder if leaving the EU is the most constructive approach to these problems...

==Support and funding==
[[File:Pvv.png|thumb|left|300px|Freedom Party support in 2010]]
PVV's supporters are typically working- and lower-middle-class white voters, without a university education.{{efn|Of those who voted PVV in the 2015 provincial elections, only 17% had attended some form of higher education, the lowest percentage among all of the parties.<ref>{{cite news|title=[http://nos.nl/artikel/2025608-wie-zijn-er-vandaag-gaan-stemmen.html Wie zijn er vandaag gaan stemmen?]|agency=NOS|date=18 March 2015|accessdate=9 July 2016}}</ref>}} The party has strong support in the southern province of Limburg, where Wilders was born,{{efn|and hasn't been in years, as evident by his campaigning there in the past, flummoxed as he was by all the Germans in Venlo who come there to shop on Sundays}} and more generally in the Catholic south of the Netherlands. Support is lower in the north, but high in the north-east corner, which is the poorest part of the country, and a former stronghold of Dutch communism. In the large cities support for Wilders is also strongest in low-income areas, where he took votes from the Dutch Labour Party. 

Wilders appeals mainly to 'poor white' voters, who feel betrayed by the mainstream parties, and feel the country is being sold out to immigrants, especially Muslims. Wilders' supporters are very active online, on blogs, news sites, and forums. Their tone is aggressive, and opponents of Wilders are subjected to abuse and death threats. Hardcore supporters have compiled death lists of multiculturalists, including politicians (such as former Prime Ministers Dries van Agt and Jan Peter Balkenende, as well Job Cohen, Piet Hein Donner and the late Hans van Mierlo), journalists, and former Queen Beatrix (and now her daughter-in-law, Queen Máxima, too).<ref>{{cite web|author1="Generaal P. Pardon"|title=POTENTIËLE LANDVERRADER/STERS|url=http://infohit.nl/multicul/landverraders.htm|accessdate=1 November 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130319010434/http://infohit.nl/multicul/landverraders.htm|archivedate=19 March 2013}}</ref>

Unlike most American right-wing populists, Wilders is pro-gay, often more so than mainstream LGBT organisations: if homophobe immigrants harass gays, Wilders wants to punish not just the perpetrators, but their ''entire family''. ([[Donald Trump#cite ref-family murder 114-0|Sound familiar?]]) He undoubtedly has support among Dutch gays and lesbians, but there are no poll figures. Although he is an atheist, he has also attracted some evangelical Christian voters, who value his defence of Christian minorities in Muslim countries and support his efforts to marginalize Islam.

The Freedom Party does not disclose its funding, but media reports suggest it comes mainly from the United States, and especially from conservative Jews.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wever|first1=Robin de|date=3 July 2012|title=''[http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/5091/Religie/article/detail/3281078/2012/07/03/Wilders-joodse-christelijke-en-anti-islamitische-geldschieters.dhtml Wilders' joodse, christelijke en anti-islamitische geldschieters]|accessdate=1 November 2015}}</ref> Former allies who broke with Wilders speak of 'suitcases with cash' from the US. Wilders was promoted in the US by anti-Islam blogger [[Pamela Geller]], and has made several speaking trips to raise funds, including a speech at a Florida synagogue<ref>{{cite web|author1="Belmoussi"|date=1 May 2009|title=[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtjcTyvYLuc Wilders geeft anti-Islam speech in synagoge in Florida]|accessdate=1 November 2015}}</ref> at the invitation of the Republican Jewish Coalition. The neoconservative [[David Horowitz]] Freedom Center raised $75,000 for him.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bosch van Rosenthal|first1=Eelco|30 April 2012|title=[http://nos.nl/artikel/368190-wilders-gemarginaliseerd-in-vs.html Wilders gemarginaliseerd in VS]|accessdate=1 November 2015}}</ref> [[Daniel Pipes]] has also raised funds for him.

==See also==
* [[Geert Wilders]]—The party's 
führer
 leader
* [[Danish People's Party]]
* [[Fremskrittspartiet]]
* [[Sweden Democrats]]
* [[Party For Freedom (Australia)]]
* [[Alternative für Deutschland]], the German counterpart

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|90%}}

[[Category:European political parties]]
[[Category:Far-right political parties]]
[[Category:Fascism]]
[[Category:Islamophobia]]
[[Category:Misnomers]]
[[Category:Netherlands]]
[[Category:Global warming denialists]]
[[Category:Racism]]

Categories: European political parties, Far-right political parties, Fascism, Islamophobia, Misnomers, Netherlands, Global warming denialists, Racism