Stop the hate - A call to action in both my countries
Masterstudent Johanna roept alle Nederlanders op hun stem wijs te gebruiken op 15 maart. Ze hoopt dat het hier niet zo ver komt als in haar andere thuisland Amerika. A blog in English.
A few months back I wrote for DUB about our need to Stop Trump from being elected. Well, on January 20th Trump was elected to the highest office in my home country. Since then, the repercussions have been worse than what I readied myself for.
He has put forward executive order after executive order that endanger citizens and are straight up unconstitutional— the recent Muslim Ban, a chilling example.
His cabinet picks are vastly under-qualified for their positions and/or are an attempt to take the middle man out of politics and just put the moneyed interests in the seats. Just take a look at oil tycoon, Rex Tillerson. Then, let’s add in the “alternative facts” that have been spewed out of the White House like a toddler not happy with their new toy. It’s Orwellian.
In my previous column, I wrote: "On November 8th, so much is on the line. This election will have reverberations across the globe, so I urge those to not only watch but act.” The reverberations have already been felt. The extreme right has garnered confidence, families are being broken up from new immigration laws, and the Paris climate change deal sits precariously in the balance.
So, time to rephrase my last lines: On 15 March, so much is on the line. This time for the Netherlands.
Let my country be a warning. You have your own Trump (they even have a similar hairdo). That itching feeling that it just can’t be true-- Wilders will gain that much power in the upcoming election, or even if he does, it won’t be as catastrophic as we expected….
Do something about that nagging feeling. Join the conversations about #StopDeHaat, knock on doors with your political party, discuss with your friends and family about your political concerns, get into the streets, Vote!
People are resisting this scary agenda, though. On the day of Trump’s inauguration, I spoke at a rally with thousands of people who were committed to not allowing their country to be barreled over by either Trump nor Wilders. The next day, so many came to the Museumplein for the Women’s March, we couldn’t even march because we took up too much space. And then, even yesterday, we took over the Malielaan in Den Haag to show our outrage at the Muslim Ban with a strong rallying cry of “we are not next.”
Don’t be next, Netherlands. Let Trump be light a fire under your butts! And to my Americans, keep on pushing back!