PVV attacked by MP over alliance with Polish party

A heated exchange between MPs Harm Beertema of PVV and Alexander Pechtold of the D66 momentarily disrupted a debate in the House of Parliament today. It all started when D66-leader Pechtold asked Beertema to clarify the possible cooperation between the PVV and Polish party KNP in a European Parliament faction. Pechtold, in his query, mentioned the fact that the KNP wants to take away women's voting rights, claiming their leftist allegiance brings about unwanted social security. While Beertema was giving his answer, laughter rang through the plenary hall, most of it from Pechtold himself, who was also making comments, De Telegraaf reports. When Beertema drew attention to this, Pechtold shouted: "Childish guy, just talk." "It is being made impossible for me to finish my story because of interruptions, and the behavior and disdain of so-called peoples' representatives", Beertema said when MP for CDA, Raymond Knops, who was moderating, wanted to give Pechtold the floor. The D66-leader reacted: "Then leave if you don't agree with it." This is MP Beertema's first attendance at a meeting of the European Affairs commission. His impression was that it is a shocking way to work. Pechtold believes the PVV member overreacted. At this point, commission moderator Knops stopped the meeting and took Beertema outside the hall. Beertema says he was treated unequally. "The president is letting himself be led by Pechtold, because I got scolded in that stoppage. I disrupted the order of the meeting, not the boy with the biggest mouth on the playground", Beertema told the ANP. He did manage to say what he wanted to when the meeting commenced. He also questioned commission moderator Knops' independence, who swore that he is an entirely neutral moderator. Beertema's day became harder still when he commented that there are "many friends of ISIS and Hamas" in the commission. ISIS is a terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, and has recently been responsible for the execution of many soldiers. Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist organization, also classified as a terrorist group by many countries. Beertema stood by his Hamas comment, taking back only the mention of ISIS, after Pechtold asked about it. Pechtold had said that the PVV is going to work with French and Polish anti-Semites in Europe.