European voters are increasingly frustrated at establishment parties ignoring their demands for tougher migration controls. In the Netherlands over the weekend, a group of citizens gathered near the border with Germany near Ter Apel to stop cars and conduct asylum seeker checks themselves.
They decided to take action after ‘centre-right’ coalition parties blocked asylum reforms, prompting Geert Wilders to take his right-wing populist Freedom Party (PVV/PfE) out of the government.
Reports vary on how many citizens took part in the action, ranging from 12-30. Dutch daily De Volkskranthighlighted crucially that Ter Apel residents “regularly complain about nuisance, intimidation and crime that some asylum seekers [who enter the area via Germany] are guilty of.”
Justice Minister David van Weel said their frustration was “understandable,” but stressed:
Do not take the law into your own hands. Let the police and military police do their job. Obey the law.
Wilders responded, however, that the government is doing “absolutely nothing,” dismissing van Weel as a “weakling” and accusing his VVD coalition force of “completely failing” voters.
Slappeling. Je doet helemaal niks. Je had het leger nu al de grenzen kunnen laten bewaken en alle asielzoekers weg kunnen sturen op grond van artikel 72 VWEU, net als de Duitsers doen.
Wilders also hailed the checks as a “fantastic initiative,” saying, “This should happen everywhere along the border.” His sights are now set on the Dutch premiership, with snap elections now set for October 29th.
Police officials were highly critical of the stops, saying they “create extremely dangerous situations on and along the road.” But one of the men involved in the action is reported as saying that
Nothing is happening. So we’ll just do it ourselves.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
