Dutch populist leader Geert Wilders is calling for a complete halt to asylum seekers entering the Netherlands after a 17-year-old girl was murdered in Amsterdam, allegedly by a migrant with a violent history. Wilders’ demand follows the killing of Lisa, a teenager stabbed to death while walking home from a night out last week.
The suspect, a 22-year-old asylum seeker, is also being investigated for a violent sexual assault on August 14 and an attempted attack on August 10, according to Dutch outlet De Telegraaf. His asylum status has intensified public outrage, fueling a renewed debate over the country’s immigration policies.
In response, Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV) have released an election manifesto calling for a four-year freeze on asylum applications. The policy proposal also includes ending family reunification, deporting all criminal foreigners, returning Syrian and Ukrainian migrants to their home countries, and withdrawing from the UN Refugee Convention.
“The Netherlands is full, overcrowded, absolutely overflowing,” Wilders wrote. He blamed left-liberal policies for what he called the “deplorable state” of the country and promised to put Dutch citizens first.
The tragedy has stirred national grief and sparked protests across the political spectrum. Women’s rights activists and local leaders organized “Reclaim the Night” marches in Amsterdam to protest violence against women. Still, Wilders challenged the prevailing narrative, stating the country has “an immigration problem,” not a gender problem.
He cited research by Dutch demographer Dr. Jan van de Beek indicating that male migrants from Islamic nations are up to 20 times more likely to commit sex crimes than native-born Dutch men.
The issue of migration has once again taken center stage ahead of the upcoming October elections, after the Dutch government collapsed earlier this year over failed immigration reforms.
