Dutch far-right party leader Geert Wilders (PVV) has targeted Brussels' winter market 'Winter Wonders' on social media, calling it an example of "Islamisation" after videos of a pro-Palestinian protest during the opening ceremony were posted online.
The opening ceremony of the Brussels 'Winter Wonders' Christmas market took place on the Place de la Bourse in the city centre on Friday. Like every Friday evening at 6pm, however, a protest for Gaza and Palestine was also held.
"Christmas market in Brussels turns into an Islamic hell," Wilders said on social media. As part of the post, he included a video of dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators holding a protest with torches, drums, and keffiyehs among the chalets and stalls under the Christmas decorations.
"Elsewhere in Europe, Christmas markets are under extra surveillance," Wilders said. "This is the result of decades of open borders. We must stop the Islamisation of the West. Freedom instead of terror. Islam does not belong here."
The protesters targeted the Federal Government, but also the mayor of the City of Brussels, Philippe Close (PS). Among other things, the movement complains that several asylum seekers from Gaza who previously participated in the protests have been arrested and detained in return centres.
Well-known for racist rhetoric
Wilders is well-known for what are widely considered racist and xenophobic statements. In 2020, he was even convicted for an incident in 2014 in which he famously asked a crowd of his supporters if they wanted "more or fewer Moroccans." When they shouted that they wanted fewer, he said that he would "take care of that."
In July 2024, Wilders' far-right populist Party for Freedom (PVV) became part of the Dutch government coalition for the first time. However, less than a year later, in June 2025, the Dutch government collapsed after Wilders quit the coalition over the other parties' refusal to accept his strict – and unlawful, according to legal experts – strict asylum proposals.
His post about 'Winter Wonders' was published on Saturday morning and gained a lot of traction in far-right circles. British far-right activist Tommy Robinson also shared the video; his post has over 187,300 views.
In Belgium, politicians have also expressed their disapproval, such as Flemish far-right MP Sam Van Rooy (Vlaams Belang). His party colleague in the Brussels Parliament, Bob De Brabandere, condemned the protest, and Flemish nationalist N-VA MP Darya Safai also expressed her disapproval, calling the protesters "extremists."
