group supporting them. I already made these points once in a debate with our Dutch prime minister in parliament that 73 per cent of the Islamic Population think that Dutch Muslims who fight Jihad in Syria are heroes. That is 73 per cent of one million Muslims in Holland.
“80 per cent of the Turkish youth in Holland, one of the biggest minority groups here say that violence against Christians and Jews is not a bad thing. In addition to that, a poll by the leftist-liberal Univeristy of Amsterdam found 11 per cent of Muslims in Holland – over 100,000 people – are prepared to use violence for the sake of Islam is Holland. Unfortunately, these figures are far worse now than they were five or ten years ago.
“Everybody is talking about the minority – of course it is a minority that uses the violence, but unfortunately there is a majority of these people who support the idea, and think they are heroes. This is a Trojan horse we have imported, people who are not even willing to assimilate to our society and adhere to our values and constitution. We have a problem.
“The good news is, the ordinary people are waking up. With the Islamic State happening, with Jihadis going and returning from Northern Africa and Syria, it is causing people to wake up to the reality of what is happening. The good news is that parties like mine are getting stronger all over Europe. Islam is getting worse, but there is a change coming because the people are fed up”.
You have this week been part of establishing a new political group in the European Parliament with Marine Le Pen of the French Front National, and other parties like the Austrian Freedom Party and Italy’s Northern League. What are your main objectives for the Europe of Nations and Freedom?
“We should get out of the Eurozone and out of the European Union. This is what we all have in common in the group – we are all very critical of Europe. I personally believe in the Swiss model – in the heart of Europe, but not part of the European Union. Access to internal markets, but able to free trade with China, Japan, the booming markets of South East Asia.
“The European Union is robbing us of our national identities, our nation states. I believe a real democracy can only flourish when you have your own nation state, your own identity, even your own flag you can rally around. You need to be in charge of your own borders, money, immigration policy – this is lacking.
“Europe started very well in the 1950’s with a trading bloc but it became a political project, and we transferred sovereignty to them. If you don’t know what you are – and this is the intention of the EU elites – you don’t know what you’re not either. We should regain our sovereignty again.
“I am sitting in our down Dutch parliament now. We don’t even have a Dutch flag here – all we have is a European flag on the roof. It is symbolic, it says a lot. At the end of the day, we are being led by afraid multiculturalists and cultural relativists who have lost sight of what society is really all about”.
Over the next year to 18 months, Britain will be preparing for a referendum on their continued membership of the European Union. What is your message to British Euro-sceptics who are looking for inspiration for the coming campaign?
“I am inspired by the British referendum, and I hope it will inspire the rest of Europe when Britain votes to leave the European Union. You are lucky enough to be out of the Eurozone – in Holland we have had billions in austerity measures, taxes being raised, just to pay for the countries in Southern Europe who are unwilling to raise taxes. It is a wealth transfer union.
“The European project has very little support outside of the political elite. The Holland is like the United Kingdom, with so many laws coming from the European Union instead of our parliament or cabinet. Europe should be a continent of nation states who are free trading, with our own identities, not a bunch of Eurocrats nobody voted for”.
“I really hope the people of the United Kingdom don’t vote against Europe – but vote against the European Union! That would inspire us Dutch, and the UK would be followed out by many other countries”.
Thank you Mr. Wilders.