(Rotterdam) The electoral victory in the Netherlands of far-right leader Geert Wilders has sent shock waves through Europe’s political elite, but in one of the country’s poorest neighborhoods his message is fly.
In Oud Crooswijk, in the heart of the port city of Rotterdam, many residents who say they have struggled for years to make ends meet believe that the sixty-year-old with the famous peroxide hairstyle will change things if he becomes head of the country.
Remnants of the neighborhood’s working-class roots remain, such as the former Heineken brewery, while former slaughterhouses and a tram depot have given way to aging four-story social housing buildings.
On the main street of the neighborhood, the only visible traces of the electoral campaign are the posters of the Denk party, meaning “Think” in French, which presents itself as the party of immigrants for immigrants.
However, in this “working class district” of 8,000 inhabitants, many people say they voted for Mr. Wilders and his far-right and Islamophobic party, the Freedom Party (PVV).
“I agree 80% with Wilders,” Rashida, 47, told AFP as she left a food bank. “Of course, there are things with which I do not agree,” underlines this woman of Moroccan origin.
“But for the most part, I believe he can bring about change,” she adds, citing issues such as the housing crisis, elderly care and health care funding.
“Things got worse under the previous government, so why not give it a chance? Pim Fortuyn was once my neighbor and he was an honest man,” she concludes, referring to this anti-immigration politician assassinated in 2022, in the middle of the electoral campaign.
Like most of those interviewed, Rashida refused to give her last name for fear of being stigmatized.
“Poorest postcode”
Poverty is the reality for many people in the neighborhood, sandwiched between a highway to the north and downtown Rotterdam, observes Diego, a volunteer for the food bank.
“You can see it for yourself,” he said, pointing to a customer looking for essentials like milk, bread, eggs and fruit.
The average annual income of a family in Oud Crooswijk is 24,700 euros, well below the Dutch average of 34,000 euros and lower than most other neighborhoods in Rotterdam.
“It’s difficult for us,” says Kevin, 19, of Cape Verdean origin, who lives in a two-bedroom apartment with his sister and mother.
“Maybe he (Wilders, Editor’s note) will be able to build affordable houses for people living three or more people in two-room apartments,” hopes this gardener.
Nearly a third of the neighborhood’s residents are of Moroccan origin, according to figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
Others come from Turkey and Suriname as well as countries in Africa. Around 15% of migrants in the neighborhood are of “Western” origin, according to CBS.
In 2016, it was named the “poorest postcode” in the country, according to official figures from the Netherlands Institute for Social Research.
“Disgusting shit”
According to residents, little has changed today — and Rotterdam households are among the poorest in the country, CBS reported earlier this month.
Outside, some storefronts are closed and several cafes have been closed permanently.
The Ali Baba meat, vegetable and general store, offering products imported from Turkey as well as halal lamb and chicken, remains very popular.
Kostandy, 62, has lived in the region for more than 30 years, and explains on leaving that he voted for the VVD of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
For him, far from being discouraged, “it doesn’t matter which party wins. The most important thing is that he (Wilders, Editor’s note) does good for the Netherlands and the people.” On sick leave, he observes that there are “a lot of problems”, notably the cost of living.
Hennei Bouwman, a 79-year-old retiree, complains that “everything is too expensive, we had to know that because there are too many people who don’t work.”
Affirming that the country is “full”, she indicates having voted for the PVV. “We have to do things differently,” she told AFP. “It’s a disgusting mess here. »