BBB desperate in appeal to farmers, now also pushing burka ban
BBB leader Caroline van der Plas has explicitly warned farmers not to vote for the PVV. Geert Wilders’ far-right party seems to have farmers’ best interest at heart, but often votes with the animal party PvdD, she said in Nieuwsuur. The interviewer pointed out that the PVV was focusing a lot on agriculture, while the BBB’s plans are increasingly right-wing. Earlier in the day, the BBB presented a document pushing for a ban on face-covering clothing and praying on the street.
The farmers’ party’s more right-wing course is also visible in the BBB’s election program, which includes terms like “solutions for mass immigration” and “a stop to new Islamic schools” - topics that the PVV has been pushing for years.
Nieuwsuur pointed out that the PVV’s election program is also more focused on agriculture than usual, which could indicate that Wilders is targeting BBB voters.
But according to Van der Plas, voting for the PVV would be a mistake for farmers. The PVV agrees with the animal party PvdD on multiple topics, she said, including the wolf and animal welfare. “If you’re considering voting for the PVV, be aware that you’ll be getting a whole lot of PvdD in return,” she said. “People often say: Wilders says what we think. Our answer is: do you want someone who says what you think, or someone who does something about it?”
Earlier on Wednesday, BBB candidate and caretaker Housing Minister Mona Keijzer presented a document titled “Islamic extremism.” In addition to a ban on face-covering clothing, which in practice mainly affects women wearing burkas, the BBB also wants to limit amplified calls to prayer and ban praying in groups on the street.
Keijzer explained to the ANP that the document is the party’s plan to counteract “Islamic legalism,” which she describes as “gradually incorporating Islamic law into normal life.” She also said that praying in groups on the street is “a kind of display of power” to “claim” the public space.” She acknowledged that this is not a widespread issue. “But governing means looking ahead.”
Wilders and his PVV’s main claim to fame is being against Islam. Keijzer denied that the BBB published this document now in an attempt to lure voters away from the PVV, saying that the piece had been in the works for some time. “And we approach this topic differently than the PVV. We don’t believe the Quran should be banned or mosques closed,” she said. According to ANP, those two plans are not in the PVV’s most recent election program.
