Dutch nationalist tells protesting ambassadors – 'mind your business!'

meldpuntmiddenenoosteuropeanen.nl

Ambassadors from ten central and eastern (CEE) European countries, including Poland, alongside presidents of the European Commission and European Parliament called this week for the right wing politician, who leads the third largest party in the Dutch parliament, to take down his web site, which invites Dutch citizens to report, "central and east Europeans [in cases of] general nuisance, pollution and labour market displacement."

Wilders told the AP news agency that the web site “was an enormous success”.

“My reaction to the ambassadors is: Mind your own business. This has nothing to do with your country. We are a sovereign country, we are a democratic political party and we voice the concerns of many Dutchmen,” Wilders, known for his strong criticism of Islam, said, Wednesday.

However, a new poll taken in the Netherlands suggests some unease about the web site, which accuses foreign workers, particularly from Poland and elsewhere in the CEE region, of petty theft, working illegally and other crimes.

Sixty two percent told the pollster that the web site may damage the Netherlands' image abroad.

The Reuters news agency points out that according to official statistics, Dutch trade with Poland, the largest of the 10 countries that joined the EU in 2004, increased by 28 percent. to 13.8 billion euros, annually, after the abolition of immigration barriers in 2007.

Around 2,000 Dutch companies are present on the Polish market, including Shell, Unilever, and Philips. (pg)