Nazis launch ballot campaign
Searchlight - May 2007
In the run up to the provincial elections on 7 March the nazi Dutch People's Union (NVU) staged two demonstrations in Apeldoorn and Doetinchem, both in the province of Gelderland where they were standing candidates. The nazis' slogan was "Close the borders to cheap Eastern European workers".
In Doetinchem, on 24 February, the police had to do their utmost to protect the nazi mob from more than a thousand angry residents whose protests delayed the march for an hour, leaving the nazis to get drenched in the rain.
Again the demonstration was a naked display of nazism, with German Imperial War Flags waved about, slogans such as "Deutschland Erwache" (Germany Awake) shouted and the infamous nazi anthem, the Horst Wessel song, being sung.
Although the Doetinchem police intervened by banning banners with the nazi code "14/88", the officers did not recognize the Horst Wessel song, leaving the district prosecutor with an almost impossible task. The police arrested sixty youngsters who protested at the nazi march and the mayor banned an anti-fascist demonstration on the same day. On 7 March, the NVU got what it deserved, polling a miserable 0.3 % of the vote and winning no seats.
The racist outfit Nieuw Rechts (NR) also stood in two provinces. In South Holland, NR activists were only able to gather enough endorsement signatures to stand in two districts, leaving them with no chance to win a seat. Even in its hometown of Rotterdam, the NR found itself short of signatures. Overall, it polled 0.4 %.
And if that was not enough, creditors are now lining up because Smit and his pals owe rent for their office and 10,000 Euro to their internet provider. At the same, Rotterdam City Council is chasing Smit over some alleged financial irregularities on his part.
On 17 March, the fascist National Alliance (NA) took the streets of Rotterdam to agitate against what it calls "the leftwing media smear campaign" and to call for more rights for "nationalists". Bizarrely, the Jeugdstorm Nederland nazi gang which is linked to the Dutch People's Union and the Blood &Honour C18 branch, in the Netherlands the Racial Volunteer Force, showed up at the scene, masked and wearing bullet proof vests. Apparently, their intention was to disrupt or attack the NA demonstration out of disgust with the moderate slogans, but a group of anti-racist hooligans from Feyenoord football club intervened before Jeugdstorm could get started. The hooligans, at first wanted to kick the NA off the street, but decided to chase the Jeugdstorm gang away. The Rotterdam police quickly arrested the Jeugdstorm members, some of whom had been given a good hiding by the Feyenoord hooligans.
On the same evening, the Rotterdam police raided the home of C18/RVF-member Arris de Bruin (25) in nearby Spijkenisse. De Bruin and his girlfriend were arrested and the police seized firearms, ammunition, bulletproof vests, a machine gun and several nail bombs. De Bruin has been active for almost ten years and does not hide his love for the Third Reich: a huge swastika with the legend "Made by Adolf" covers his back.
In the period just after the murder of right-wing populist Pim Fortuyn in May 2002, De Bruin attracted the close attention of the Dutch secret service which discovered that his group was planning to stage attacks on left-wing politicians. Some arrests were made but no convictions followed. Since then de Bruin has been involved in violence against migrants.
Jeroen Bosch for Alert! and Antifa-Net
