Geert Wilders has been described as the Dutch Donald Trump. Earlier this month his far-right Freedom Party pulled off a surprise election victory in the Netherlands. Following Mr Wilder's win, we look at what is driving right-wing populism in Europe. Italy has a right-wing populist prime minister. In Hungary there is Viktor Orban, Prime Minister since 2010, with his particular brand of nationalist populism, and in Finland the far-right Finns party is now part of the governing coalition. Are some of the factors that secured Geert Wilders’ win also what is helping other right-wing populists in Europe? In a European context, does right-wing populism differ from far-rights politics? Shaun Ley is joined by: Catherine Fieschi, a comparative political analyst specialising in populism, far right and authoritarian politics and a Fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre at the European University Institute in Florence; Stanley Pignal, The Economist's Brussels bureau chief and writes their Charlemagne column on Europe; Sanne van Oosten, a political scientist at the University of Oxford, Centre on Migration, Policy and Society. Producer: Max Horberry and Ellen Otzen (Photo: Dutch far-right politician and leader of the PVV party Geert Wilders meets the press after the PVV won the most seats in the elections, The Hague, Netherlands, 24 Nov, 2023. Credit: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters)
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And this week, Herd Wilders.
The man described as the Dutch Donald Trump has pulled off a surprise election victory in the Netherlands.
On the political fringe for years, he could now be the next prime minister.
In the past, he's called for a ban on mosques and on the Quran.
But he insists he's no extremist.
I don't subscribe to myself as being far right, as you call me all the time.
It's people that feel that the indigenous people are being ignored because of the mass immigration that we had.
They feel mistreated, forgotten in a way.
And I said, well, the Netherlands people first.
Now right wing populists across Europe have rushed to congratulate him.
But in the Netherlands, the result has divided opinion.
Dutch Muslims are anxious.
This man, for one, doesn't believe the less abrasive tone struck by Hertwilda's during the election campaign will be the approach he adopts in power.
If he says no.