Wednesday,
27 May 2026 - 09:15
Far-right
FvD takes blows from almost all parties in debate on violent anti-asylum riots
The
far-right FvD and party leader Lidewij de Vos faced attacks from almost all
other parties in a Tweede Kamer debate on the violence used at recent
anti-asylum protests. This is a turnaround to parliament’s usual stance of
largely ignoring the FvD in an attempt not to feed the party’s far-right
ideologies. De Vos still refused to distance herself from these racist ideas,
NU.nl reported.
Tuesday’s
debate focused largely on indications
that far-right groups were involved in recent anti-asylum
riots in Loosdrecht and other municipalities. In the run-up to the
municipal elections, it became clear that several FvD candidates had current or
former ties
with several right-wing extremist groups.
For over
an hour on Tuesday evening, De Vos faced an increasingly enraged
parliamentarians from the left and right of the political spectrum, demanding
in vain that she distance herself from the violence used at anti-asylum
protests and from far-right ideologies. But De Vos maintained that the FvD has
nothing to do with extremist ideologies and rejected all “insinuations” that
party members belonged to far-right groups.
Various
parties had major issues with the FvD’s use of terms like “repatriation” and
“population replacement.” The National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and
Security (NCTV) has warned that such terms help normalize far-right ideology.
In an
attempt to get De Vos to distance herself from these ideas, D66 MP Jan
Paternotte asked her whether “the Netherlands is only for white people.” De Vos
replied that “the Netherlands is for the Dutch,” referring to people whose
ancestors were born here.
Other
party leaders followed Paternotte’s example in trying to get De Vos to admit
her racism or distance herself from it. These included right-wing MP Mona
Keijzer, who participated
in an anti-asylum protest in Loosdrecht. According to NU.nl, it culminated
in a bizarre debate in which the FvD leader repeatedly failed to answer
questions and refused to distance herself from far-right ideologies.
“It was
ugly, intensely ugly, but it had to happen,” Paternotte later reflected on the
debate. “I think it is good that the Netherlands has seen this. If you are not
willing to ask follow-up questions and think ‘just let a party babble,’ then
people won’t know what they are voting for when elections come up.”
According
to PRO leader Jesse Klaver, De Vos revealed “the true nature” of the FvD during
the debate. He accused her of normalizing far-right ideology with her party’s
“right-wing extremist undertone.”
De Vos
did eventually condemn violence at the protests, but she blamed the coalition
and Cabinet for it. According to her, the government’s policies contributed to
people being this angry.
“It is
all about what comes after the comma,” Prime Minister Rob Jetten said later in
the evening about De Vos’s condemnations and justifications, without actually
mentioning her by name.
The
racist terms frequently used in Tuesday’s debate, even by parties openly
distancing themselves from them, “can influence the societal debate in the
wrong way,” Jetten said. “The term ‘population replacement’ is not ordinary
language. It does not belong in our political debate.”
The Prime
Minister added that he had hoped for a Kamer-wide condemnation of the violence,
but had to accept that this would not happen.
The
turnaround from the Kamer’s usual strategy of largely ignoring the FvD is
likely due to the far-right party’s success
in the municipal elections. The party currently holds seven seats in the
Tweede Kamer and is doing well in the polls.
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