Geert Wilders Calls for E.U. Referendum in the Netherlands

NYTimes:

Geert Wilders, the right-wing, anti-immigrant, anti-Brussels Dutch politician, is one of the most articulate proponents of the potential merits of leaving the European Union. In an interview with The Times, he described Great Britain’s vote to leave as “a fantastic result” that showed that the bloc was far from an inevitable entity.

He predicted that others would follow suit. “The Netherlands will be next,” he said. “We want to regain control over our country, our own money, our own borders, our own immigration policy.”

He also said he expected that the economic impact would be negligible because of the importance of Britain in trade. “If the E.U. punishes Britain in any way, it will only harm itself,” he said.

On his website, Mr. Wilders wrote that June 23 would go down in history as Britain’s Independence Day. “The europhile elite has been defeated,” he wrote. “Britain points Europe the way to the future and to liberation.”

A recent survey by the Dutch television station EenVandaag showed that a majority of the Dutch wanted a referendum on European Union membership, and that more Dutch favored leaving the bloc than remaining, he said.

Mr. Wilders’s remarks followed similar comments by Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front party in France.