Saturday, February 11, 2017

John Sweeney Meets Geert Wilders - BBC Newsnight


Populist parties are growing in strength across Europe - emboldened by both Brexit and Trump. There's Marine Le Pen and the National Front in France of course. But there's a critical election before that: next month, in Holland. Geert Wilders - who leads the anti Muslim Freedom Party is hoping to top the ballot. He wants to take them out of the EU, and to 'de-islamise the Netherlands' with a ban on immigration from Muslim countries. In 2016 he was convicted of inciting discrimination. The Dutch coalition system means it's unlikely Wilders will be crowned Prime Minister. But he could end up leading the largest party which would chill European centrists and boost other populist movements throughout the continent. We sent John Sweeney in pursuit.