The European Group of Forum for Democracy claims that Thierry Baudet and Freek Jansen, leader of the youth party of FVD, made racist and anti-Semitic statements at a party meeting last Friday. The European group writes to “stand back” and “condemn the statements strongly”.
Earlier, departing FVD member Nicki Pouw-Verweij wrote about controversial statements by Baudet during a dinner, in which people on the FVD electoral list were present. The statement of the European group has been co-signed by candidate Member of Parliament Jan Cees Vogelaar.
According to Pouw-Verweij, Baudet believes in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories surrounding the corona virus, which hold the American-Hungarian billionaire George Soros responsible for the pandemic. Soros is of Jewish descent.
The content of that letter was already confirmed on Thursday by candidate MPs Joost Eerdmans and Eva Vlaardingerbroek, who were present at the dinner. Eerdmans, Vlaardingerbroek, Pouw-Verweij and Annabel Nanninga joined eleven other party leaders on Thursday who are leaving the party because of the anti-Semitic statements within FVD.
According to Nanninga, Pouw-Verweij, Eerdmans and Vlaardingerbroek, the Forum of Democracy is “a party that tolerates extremist views”. The foursome says they are disappointed in Baudet, who, according to them, was “unpredictable” and “solo”.
In addition, various regional States members split from the party. This Friday, another four States members stepped out of the North Holland fraction of FVD. The three remaining States members have decided to stay, writes ANP. Four of the six FVD States members in Drenthe also want to leave the party behind.
Baudet and Jansen have not yet responded to the statement from the European branch of FVD.
Chaos created within Forum for Democracy within one week
Since Saturday it has been restless within Forum for Democracy, then Het Parool wrote about anti-Semitic statements made in app groups by members of the youth arm of the party, the JFVD. Earlier, members of the youth party also came under fire for sharing extreme right-wing ideas.
Baudet found an internal investigation into the apps initially sufficient, but decided on Monday to give up his position as party leader. A day later he also left as party chairman, but he wrote a party leader election on his own. The party management wanted to expel Baudet, while the latter proposed to split the party in two.
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