Dutch Interior Minister condemns Wilders as threats against mayors escalate
Caretaker Interior Minister Frank Rijkaart sharply condemned the growing threats and intimidation faced by mayors, council members, and other local officials over new asylum seeker centers, warning that such actions cross “a red line.”
The threats have intensified following PVV leader Geert Wilders’ incendiary statements, which called on residents to reject asylum centers, demanded border closures, halted family reunification, and threatened to withdraw his party from the coalition if his demands were not met. Rijkaart described the rhetoric as “extremely inciting,” urging moderation in public discourse and warning that officials are being pushed beyond acceptable limits.
Speaking on the television program WNL op Zondag, Rijkaart said, “The whole tone, the setting, is just extremely inciting. There are very coarse statements that push the limits of what can be said.” He emphasized that threats and intimidation against local officials are unacceptable. “Keep your hands off the administration,” he said.
Wilders responded defiantly on X (formerly Twitter), calling Rijkaart a “naïve person” with “weak texts” and adding, “We have only just begun. Brace yourself. People do not want asylum centers. No forced law. No Islamization. And certainly no cowardly administrators. I will always stand up for the Dutch citizen!”
The controversy comes in the wake of a recent advertisement in Limburg, signed by more than 900 local officials, urging an end to shouting, insulting, intimidating, and threatening behavior. The ad followed security measures for Venlo Mayor Scholten after public uproar over a new asylum seeker center.
Rijkaart emphasized that, despite political pressures, municipalities must continue to implement existing law. “The law is the law, and I stand behind that,” he said. The current demissionary cabinet, composed only of VVD and BBB, wants to stop the dispersal law that obliges municipalities to provide asylum housing, but the law remains in effect, creating what officials describe as a confusing double message.
Sharon Dijksma, chair of the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG), criticized the cabinet for its “halfheartedness” during an interview on Buitenhof. She said politicians in The Hague condemn threats while simultaneously signaling that these issues involve complex dilemmas, which undermines local support. “Make policy, but ensure that the people on the front line are supported,” Dijksma said. She also labeled Wilders’ statements as unacceptable, noting, “It goes over the edge. He does not listen to authority.”
The cabinet previously allocated 3 million euros to enhance the safety of council meetings, but Rijkaart has not announced additional security measures, instead making a moral appeal for calm and restraint.
