Geert Wilders

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on March 12 he would do everything to "de-escalate" a diplomatic confrontation with Turkey he described as the worst the Netherlands has experienced in years, after two major incidents on March 11.

Turkey told the Netherlands that it would retaliate in the "harshest ways" after Turkish ministers were barred from speaking in Rotterdam.

The Dutch political system may not have been deliberately designed to produce middle-of-the-road outcomes, but it certainly works that way in practice: many small parties, multi-party coalitions to create a majority government, perpetual compromise. It is almost impossible to radicalize a system like this, but Geert Wilders is going to try.

The diplomatic crisis experienced with Germany is an example of the new crises Turkey will face in Europe from now on. The rising populism in Europe is inciting Islamophobia as well as anti-Turkish sentiments, influencing even central right and leftist policies.  
  

Two weeks ago, this column suggested that campaign for the April 16 referendum on shifting Turkey to a presidential system of government was in a trend toward normalization, with the two camps beginning to use milder language to avoid direct criticism of each other. 

The Dutch government said on March 9 it would not welcome the Turkish foreign minister to the Netherlands if he was coming to solicit the votes of local Turks in a constitutional referendum that would shift the parliamentary system to an executive presidency.

Turkey will not succumb to "fascists and racists" like Dutch nationalist politician Geert Wilders, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on March 9.

Amid rising populism, xenophobia, and anti-establishment moods globally, several European countries including the Netherlands, France, Germany, and possibly Italy are preparing for an election cycle that may have significant impact on the future of the EU and indeed Europe.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu spoke on the phone to his Dutch counterpart Bert Koenders on March 8 ahead of his planned visit to the Netherlands in a bid to address Turks living there on constitutional change referendum campaigns in Turkey. 

The year 2017 is set to be a crucial one for Europe, with key elections ahead in the Netherlands, France and Germany. The outcome of these elections will indicate whether or not the U.K.'s Brexit decision, along with the rise of populist parties, will trigger the subsequent unraveling of the union. 
 

A police officer was arrested on Monday on suspicion of leaking investigation information to a Moroccan-Dutch criminal organization, NRC reports. According to the newspaper, the officer in question is of Moroccan descent and works at the so-called Safety and Security Department, tasked with providing security to the royal family and threatened politicians like Geert Wilders, among others.