Dutch far right leader Thierry Baudet says beer bottle attack was "political"

Forum for Democracy (FVD) leader Thierry Baudet called the attack on him with a beer bottle in a bar in Groningen on Monday a "political attack" in his initial response. "It's not just an attack on me personally, but also on the positions I stand for." Baudet also said security personnel should not be blamed for the attack, though he will discuss the situation with security services later on Tuesday.

Baudet was in a Groningen cafe on Monday evening for an election meeting when the boy attacked him. According to the FvD, Baudet got hit “on the back of the head with a beer bottle and was also hit on the edge of his temple just next to his eye.” The party said that a “trauma surgeon” treated Baudet at the UMCG.

Baudet said on Tuesday that he suspects the attack came from the "Antifa corner," but he has no proof. "We are still waiting for a statement. We are awaiting more information."

The police announced earlier that a minor age boy from Groningen had been arrested for the assault.

The FVD leader suffered a head wound from the attack. He was struck just above his eye, and on the back of his head. Baudet wants to continue with the campaign, but will be more cautious, at least for the time beingg. Baudet will also participate in the NOS election debate on Tuesday evening.

It is still unclear what the consequences will be for the FVD’s election results party. On Monday evening, he canceled an event in Zwolle because he was physically “not well enough” to take part in it.

Politicians expressed their dismay at the attack on Monday evening. “In a democracy, we fight each other with words and this attack cannot be justified in any way,” said Frans Timmermans of GroenLinks-PvdA. The sentiment was shared by VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz

Geert Wilders (PVV) called the attack both “cowardly and stupid,” while NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt suggested the Netherlands had not learned anything since the 2002 murder of politician Pim Fortuyn.

It is the second attack on Baudet in a short time. At the end of last month he was attacked by a man with an umbrella in Ghent, Belgium. He hit Baudet hard on the head.

Baudet does not blame security, wants to first analyze the attack

Baudet’s security has been “heavily” increased since the previous attack on him in Ghent, Belgium, last October. “That is why we are now working very hard behind the scenes to analyze how this could happen a second time, and what we should do about it,” Baudet said to the gathered press. “They say three times is a charm, but I’ll skip that.”

The attack happened when he was taking a photo with the people attending the election event. “In any case, I have decided that I will no longer take selfies until the elections,” Baudet continued.

There was a registration requirement for the event in Groningen. Normally, according to him, there are also security gates, and people are frisked at such activities. He does not know if this was the case in this café. "I was hit with a beer bottle, not with something someone brought in. Anything can easily become a weapon."

The FVD leader believes that the government should contribute a higher financial sum for the security of political parties. As a result, he said parties would no longer have to pay for the costs of security gates and private security guards at party events.