The Netherlands receive a fake message from the US before the 15 March elections [VIDEO]
The Netherlands face a general election on 15 March in which the far right could make significant gains. And one satirical video has just addressed the country directly about this issue, in the voice of US President Donald Trump.
Campaign group Avaaz produced the video. And it has since reached millions of people with its fake message from Trump. But while funny at points, this message couldn’t be more serious: that the Netherlands should be very wary of the Dutch Trump, Geert Wilders.
This video echoes similar satirical videos. One of these saw the Netherlands welcome the current US President in his own voice. The video series uses the talents of people like voice artist and comedian Gregory Shapiro.
Geert Wilders
In the run-up to the Dutch elections on 15 March, an escalating row with the nationalist regime in Turkey has threatened to boost the campaign of Geert Wilders – the far-right leader of the anti-Islam and anti-EU ‘Party for Freedom’ (PVV). And The Guardian says a Wilders success “would likely embolden like-minded movements elsewhere” in Europe.
Recent polling may suggest that Wilders won’t do as well as expected or feared. With polls having failed to predict Brexit or President Trump, however, such a result is definitely not set in stone.
In the battle against the far right, satire may well be a good way of highlighting the flaws of Trump-like nationalist movements. But to truly stop such groups making gains in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe, strong political opposition from the left will be essential.
Read on...
Update: This article was updated at 10am on 15 March to reflect the fact that the video has had millions of views (including 5m on Facebook).
Get Involved!
– Watch other similar spoof videos.
– See more TrumpWatch articles at The Canary Global.
Featured image via YouTube
We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.
