Loyal PVV voters were out in scores at a “meet and greet” for Geert Wilders in the fishing village of Volendam this weekend – from current MPs to former asylum minister Marjolein Faber.

“Shall we win the elections next week?” said Geert Wilders, leader and sole party member, into a microphone. “Will the Netherlands be more than one big asylum centre? Do we want Dutch people to feel even more strangers in their own cities, villages and neighbourhoods? Or shall we put the Dutch first once again?”

He was spreading the same message as two years ago, except this time all three major parties – GroenLinks-PvdA, D66 liberal democrats and CDA Christian Democrats – have ruled out working with the PVV. This means participation in government is highly unlikely, even though it is just about leading in the polls.

“Nonsense!”

The rally – in a fish bar  – was crowded with locals and party loyalists, and Volendammers are among Wilders’ most fervent supporters. Some 43% voted for him in the last election in 2023, making the PVV the biggest party in the tourist destination by far.

But one bystander repeatedly called out “fascist!” and “nonsense!” and several Swiss tourists watched in concern.

Wilders told the crowd of around 100 he was “sure that we will be the biggest and let the other parties smell a turd”, but confessed to some foreign journalists that he would need a majority to govern.

He attacked D66, which is currently rising in the polls, and urged his supporters to vote – something that is traditionally an issue. “Dear people, please go en masse and take your friends, people you know, your colleagues, your parents, do brothers, your nephews and nieces, take everyone,” said Wilders. “Please ensure there is a mass vote on Wednesday.”

Geert Wilders in Volendam Photo: S Boztas

Voters said that they did not blame him for collapsing the previous government in June. Astrid Arnold Harmsen, a special needs assistant, said she was sure he would be “the future prime minister.”

She told Dutch News: “He is going to save our country – I hope so. There’s a lot going wrong here. It’s impossible to get social housing, children can’t get a home, immigration is too high and we do too much for foreign [countries] instead of for ourselves.”

Although she gave her own life an eight out of 10, she said: “But I have to work very hard for it.”

Shame

Others, who follow Wilders via social media, said it was not his fault that he failed to achieve his goals of lowering the health insurance excess or “stopping” asylum, despite gaining a quarter of seats in parliament in 2023.

“It’s a shame, but it’s understandable,” said Nick V, a web designer from Almere, who did not want to give his full name. “He had a lot of big plans and he was worked against.”

Many visitors wanted a selfie or a handshake from Wilders, some appeared to be traditional, older, practically-educated PVV voters, but there were also groups of teenagers.

Two Swiss tourists, who had spotted the huge police presence in the tourist village, watched from a distance. “I observe young people, especially young men, all in black, which is a code – I wouldn’t call it neo-Nazis but it is a uniform,” said one.

“In the Netherlands, in my country, in Germany, all this black dress is something very right-wing. It’s about globalisation, migration and the EU.”