Ambassadors protest at PVV’s anti-eastern European website

The ambassadors of 10 central and eastern European countries have sent an open letter to political party leaders protesting about a website set up by the anti-immigration PVV to collect complaints about their nationals.


According to Polish news agency PAP, the letter asks parliamentary party leaders to distance themselves from this ‘regrettable initiative’. Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk is also aware of the commotion, PAP said. Tusk said there are limited protest options open because the website is the initiative of a politician, not the government, website Polonia.nl reports.
Jobs
PVV leader Geert Wilders said in a reaction to the ambassadors’ letter that it was a ‘waste of paper’. The website is not focused at individual countries but at collecting information about the public nuisance and pressure on jobs, Wilders is quoted as saying by the Volkskrant.
On Friday evening Europe’s justice commissioner Viviane Reding said the website is ‘an open call to intolerance’.‘The PVV website completely goes against European principles,’ Reding said.
‘In Europe, we support freedom. We support an open continent where citizens can move, work and study where they will,’ Reding said. ‘We solve our problems by showing more solidarity, not by telling tales on fellow citizens.’
Complaints
The website, launched on Wednesday, asks people to report complaints about central and eastern European immigrants in the Netherlands.
‘Do you have problems with people from central and eastern Europe? Have you lost your job to a Pole, Bulgarian, Romanian or other eastern European? We want to know,’ the website states.
‘Europe can get stuffed,’ Wilders said in a reaction to Reding’s statement. ‘We’ve had more than 32,000 reports. The website is a hit.’ It is not clear how many of the reports are genuine.
Earlier stories
PVV website is an open call to intolerance
Prime minister refuses to condemn PVV website
Trouble with Limburgers of Belgians? Complaint websites spring up
Employers leader urges government to distance itself from PVV website
Romania wants action on PVV website
Problems with Poles? Report them to us, says new PVV website

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