Netherlands: Gull debate

An article in Historisch Nieuwsblad (historical magazine) compares the symbol of the PVV, Geert Wilders' party to that used in the 1930s by the NSB, the Nationalist Socialist Movement.

Gjalt Zondergeld, political historian, brings a black-white-red poster of the NSB from 1941, in which a gull is placed next to the word 'vrijheid' (freedom), similarly to that of the PVV logo. Zondergeld says that the gull has long been a symbol of freedom, much as the dove is a symbol of peace, and that it stands for nationalism, being a common bird in the Netherlands.

The gull was also used by the Flemish nationalist movement, and is still used today by the VNJ (Flemish national youth association).


In response Wilders said the article was the work of a 'sick mind'. The logo was designed two years ago by a designer who was asked to come up with a positive logo.

He says he has nothing to do with the NSB. People are continuously trying to present him in the wrong corner and force him to justify himself.

Several years ago he was compared to extreme-right politicians such as Jean-Marie Le Pen and Philip Dewinter when he used boxing gloves when presenting his list of candidates. Wilders asks whether for every sentence he says he should check whether somebody 'bad' from the 18th or 19th century also said something similar.

Sources: Historisch Nieuwsblad, Telegraaf (Dutch)