Hans Schreurs, a 66-year-old snack bar owner in the Dutch town of Venlo, is quite successful. His business is thriving, he owns his home, and he and his wife are famous throughout the community for their unique deep-fried breaded eggs, known as ‘friet-ei.’
Despite his personal prosperity, Mr. Schreurs is concerned for his grandchildren. He fears they will struggle to find their own path to success due to competition from immigrants. This worry is why he plans to cast his vote for Geert Wilders and his far-right Party for Freedom in the upcoming parliamentary election.
“This country is getting too full,” Mr. Schreurs recently stated from behind the counter of his automat-style fry shop, Automatiek Piccadilly.
Geert Wilders, a vocal far-right politician, has consistently highlighted migration as a key public issue, frequently linking it—often without clear evidence—to the Netherlands’ persistent housing shortage and rising crime. He recently called for a complete halt to asylum applications and suggested deploying the army to patrol national borders. During his campaign launch in Venlo last September, Wilders dramatically warned that the country was heading towards a “multicultural hell.”
The campaign posters visible in the woodlands of Venlo offer a snapshot of the political landscape. A remarkable 27 parties are participating in the upcoming election, with 16 expected to secure seats in Parliament.
Hans Schreurs and his wife, José, are pictured in their Venlo fry shop, a true local institution renowned for its signature golden-brown fried eggs served with curry sauce.
More than simply electing 150 new lawmakers, this election is a crucial referendum on the far-right movement. While Wilders’s party has significantly altered Dutch politics, it has struggled to translate its strong statements into effective policy.
Venlo, the German border town where Mr. Wilders was born and raised, encapsulates the broader tensions gripping the nation, reflecting similar anxieties seen in other affluent countries witnessing the rise of populist figures.
Much like the rest of the Netherlands, Venlo is experiencing an aging population, and local businesses are eager to find workers. However, housing costs remain a critical problem, and public anxiety over the arrival of newcomers, particularly asylum seekers, is becoming increasingly apparent.
“You feel it, actually, it’s brewing,” observed Sonny Evers, who owns Café de Blauw Trap, a popular pub in Venlo’s Old Town that hosted Mr. Wilders’s campaign kickoff party. Mr. Evers noted that discussions about immigration now dominate local political conversations, citing recent protests, counter-protests, and intense debates surrounding a proposed asylum center.
“It’s quite in the open now,” he remarked, sitting at a dark wood table as afternoon regulars chatted nearby. “It had been for a long time that it was not talked about.”
Sonny Evers, the proprietor of Café de Blauw Trap, is seen in his bar. He mentioned that disagreements over immigration, long kept quiet, are now “out in the open” following a campaign event by Mr. Wilders at his establishment.
Mr. Wilders has undoubtedly paved the way for this shift. His openly anti-Islam rhetoric has been a powerful presence in Dutch politics for years, especially since his party’s surprising landslide victory in 2023 propelled them to power.
He has been the central figure throughout this election season from its very beginning. Mr. Wilders and his party, the PVV, forced the current election by unexpectedly collapsing the government in June. They withdrew from the governing coalition due to frustration over its reluctance to adopt a more extreme stance on immigration.
Even after throwing the nation’s politics into disarray, recent polling indicates that Mr. Wilders’s party is still likely to win the most votes, though by a narrow margin. However, it is projected to lose seats in Parliament as it cedes some of its earlier momentum. Other major parties have pledged to exclude them from any coalition talks, severely limiting Mr. Wilders’s chances of becoming prime minister.
With at least 27 parties competing and 16 expected to secure parliamentary representation, no single party is anticipated to gain firm control of the government. Furthermore, a substantial number of voters remain undecided, making the election’s outcome highly unpredictable.
While Dutch voters often delay their final decisions, the widespread indecision this time is also connected to a visible sense of disillusionment felt on the streets of Venlo.
A scene of housing construction in Venlo illustrates a significant challenge. The Netherlands is one of Europe’s most densely populated and low-lying nations, with numerous canals, making building expensive and environmentally complex.
Another image shows a woman in a headscarf with two young children outside a shop. While the Netherlands has recently seen an influx of refugees from Ukraine, much of the public’s frustration is directed at migrants from North Africa and other non-European countries, many of whom arrived decades ago.
Abdeljalil Bel-elkatib, a 31-year-old psychologist living in Venlo, is a Muslim and the son of a Moroccan immigrant. He supports Denk, a party focused on championing minority rights and equal opportunities.
“That’s the most important part,” he emphasized, expressing concerns that many parties might violate laws with their platforms and fail to deliver on campaign promises. “A lot of people have lost trust,” he added.
On a cobblestone corner in the Old Town, José Tiggelers, 50, clutched her afternoon shopping bag. She explained that she had previously voted for a far-right party but does not intend to vote in this election.
“Because others didn’t want to work with him, he didn’t get anything done,” she said of Mr. Wilders. She concluded, “I wish everyone would stop voting. None of them are any good.”
A core issue facing the Netherlands is the deeply entrenched problem of housing affordability.
The Netherlands is among Europe’s most densely populated nations, and its low-lying landscape, crisscrossed with canals, makes construction both costly and environmentally complex. These burdens are particularly severe in major cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht, but the problem is now extending to smaller towns such as Venlo.
Some political parties have presented detailed plans to address housing costs, including proposals for tax breaks for new buyers or facilitating easier house sharing. Others, however, have simply placed the blame for the crisis on immigrants.
Indeed, an increasing population due to immigration can exacerbate competition for housing, although the actual impact of lower-skilled immigrants on home prices is often more intricate than commonly assumed.
Abdeljalil Bel-elkatib, a psychologist from Venlo, is shown outdoors amidst autumn leaves. He voiced his support for the Denk party, which prioritizes equal opportunities and minority rights.
The Netherlands has recently experienced a significant rise in migration, largely driven by the influx of refugees from Ukraine. Nevertheless, a considerable amount of national discontent is directed towards migrants from North Africa and other non-European countries, many of whom settled in the country decades ago.
In Venlo, mirroring sentiments across much of the nation, residents frequently express anxieties that asylum seekers will strain the housing market and contribute to crime.
Most recently, Venlo residents were preoccupied with plans to convert a local monastery into a temporary residential center for asylum seekers. In September, several hundred people gathered near a harbor in Venlo to protest the idea, prompting a slightly smaller counter-protest.
“It’s about security,” stated Bruno Pijpers, an opponent of the center who joined the protests. He and his neighbors worried that the young men who would reside in the center might pose a threat to the local community.
Dutch crime statistics do show migrants appearing at a higher proportional rate than native-born citizens. However, these rates, which were already low, have been consistently declining across all demographics for more than a decade.
Among those advocating for the asylum center is Venlo’s official city poet, Emirhan X. He has been overtly critical of the protesters, leading Mr. Pijpers to file a formal complaint against him.
“I just called them right-wing extremists; and unfortunately, that’s just what they are,” the poet declared. “This might be the most tense election ever.”
A group of young people is seen next to a street post displaying posters of Geert Wilders. The frustration over immigration policy was a key factor in Mr. Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV) unexpectedly causing the government to collapse in June, as they pushed for a more hardline approach.
A vibrant bakery stall is depicted at Venlo’s annual fair, bustling with activity.
Others highlight that migrants are a vital component of Dutch society. In Venlo, migrants constitute approximately 19 percent of the population, slightly exceeding the national average of 16 percent. In recent years, migration has been the sole contributor to the nation’s population growth.
Without a growing populace earning and spending, achieving economic growth becomes challenging.
“We need people to work,” affirmed Marcel Tabbers, director of Venlo Partners, the town’s marketing organization.
In Venlo, there are subtle public indications of complex feelings about the prolonged populist wave. As evening lights began to twinkle, reflecting off the Meuse River, a few young people gathered near a street post. It featured a poster depicting Mr. Wilders, one of the few still visible in town.
The reason for the scarcity of his familiar, blond-framed face quickly became apparent.
The teenagers, who chose to remain anonymous, promptly tore down the poster.