Current:Home > MyDutch anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders has withdrawn a 2018 proposal to ban mosques and the Quran-LoTradeCoin
Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders has withdrawn a 2018 proposal to ban mosques and the Quran
View Date:2024-12-23 22:51:33
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Far-right Dutch election winner Geert Wilders made a key concession to potential coalition partners on Monday, announcing that he’s withdrawing legislation that he proposed in 2018 that calls for a ban on mosques and the Quran.
The move came a day before talks to form the next government were set to resume following the November election. The abandonment of the bill could be critical in gaining the trust and support of three more mainstream parties that Wilders wants to co-opt into a coalition along with his Party for Freedom, known by its Dutch acronym PVV.
One of those parties’ leaders, Pieter Omtzigt of the reformist New Social Contract, has expressed fears that some of Wilders’ policies breach the Dutch Constitution that enshrines liberties, including the freedom of religion.
During a parliamentary debate last year after the PVV won 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of the Dutch parliament in the Nov. 22 general election, Wilders flagged a softening of his party’s strident anti-Islam stance.
“Sometimes I will have to withdraw proposals and I will do that,” Wilders said in the debate. “I will show the Netherlands, the legislature, Mr. Omtzigt’s party — anybody who wants to hear it — that we will adapt our rules to the constitution and bring our proposals in line with it.”
Wilders is due to resume coalition talks on Tuesday with Omtzigt, and the leaders of two other parties — the center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the Farmer Citizen Movement led by Caroline van der Plas.
Among three pieces of legislation axed by by Wilders Party for Freedom was one dating back to 2018 that proposes banning “Islamic expressions.” The text of the bill labels Islam a “violent, totalitarian ideology” and proposes bans on mosques, the Quran, Islamic schools and the wearing of burqas and niqabs.
Wilders didn’t immediately comment further on the decision to withdraw the legislation, which his party announced in a brief statement.
The three laws were proposed to parliament by Wilders in 2017, 2018 and 2019, but never garnered a majority in the lower house.
In an assessment of the proposed ban on Islamic expressions, the Council of State, an independent watchdog that evaluates legislation, called on Wilders to scrap it.
“The Advisory Division advises the initiators to abandon the bill,” the council said in advice published in 2019. “It is not compatible with the core elements of the democratic constitutional state; elements that the initiators intend to protect.”
veryGood! (62312)
Related
- How Leonardo DiCaprio Celebrated His 50th Birthday
- Lindsay Lohan Reveals Plans for Baby No. 2
- Race for Chicago-area prosecutor seat features tough-on-crime judge, lawyer with Democratic backing
- Where Love Is Blind’s Jimmy and Jessica Really Stand After His Breakup With Chelsea
- Kentucky governor says investigators will determine what caused deadly Louisville factory explosion
- RHONY's Brynn Whitfield Shares Hacks To Look Good Naked, Get Rid of Cellulite & Repair Hair Damage
- Vermont murder-for-hire case sees third suspect plead guilty
- The Excerpt podcast: Climate change is making fungi a much bigger threat
- Diamond Sports Group will offer single-game pricing to stream NBA and NHL games starting next month
- More women's basketball coaches are making at least $1M annually, but some say not enough
Ranking
- Mississippi rising, Georgia falling in college football NCAA Re-Rank 1-134 after Week 11
- Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict’s cause of death revealed in autopsy report
- Biden is coming out in opposition to plans to sell US Steel to a Japanese company
- Powerball winning numbers for March 13, 2024 drawing: Jackpot up to $600 million
- Kalen DeBoer, Jalen Milroe save Alabama football season, as LSU's Brian Kelly goes splat
- Group of Five head coaches leaving for assistant jobs is sign of college football landscape shift
- Ex-rideshare driver accused in California antisemitic attack charged with federal hate crime
- US could end legal fight against Titanic expedition
Recommendation
-
Pentagon secrets leaker Jack Teixeira set to be sentenced, could get up to 17 years in prison
-
Love Is Blind’s Jimmy and Chelsea Reveal Their Relationship Status After Calling Off Wedding
-
Former NFL coach Jon Gruden lands advisory role with football team in Italy
-
Drake Bell Shares He Was Sexually Abused at 15
-
The 10 Best Cashmere Sweaters and Tops That Feel Luxuriously Soft and Are *Most Importantly* Affordable
-
Is Messi playing tonight? Inter Miami vs. Nashville Champions Cup stream, live updates
-
2024 NFL free agency updates: Tracker for Wednesday buzz, notable moves as new league year begins
-
How Khloe Kardashian Is Celebrating Ex Tristan Thompson's Birthday