The AD calls Wilfred Genee to order because he did not intervene when Frans Timmermans was fat-shamed by Geert Wilders in the election debate on SBS 6 last night. “Oh.”
Frans Timmermans is an obese man and a lot of jokes have been made about that for quite some time now, for example in Today Inside. And Geert Wilders couldn’t resist last night during the election debate on SBS 6: “You can demand until you weigh an ounce. And that will take some time.”
Fat shaming
AD journalist Dennis Jansen, a direct colleague of newspaper diva Angela de Jong, addresses debate leader Wilfred Genee about this. After all, he did not intervene in this ‘fat shaming’ in his television studio. “Geert Wilders made a joke about Frans Timmermans’ weight. Shouldn’t you have spoken to him about that?” he asks him.
No, says Wilfred. He answers in the newspaper: “Timmermans himself makes a lot of jokes about that. Like: ‘Well, it’s been 30 kilos already’, and other comments, so he also gives crosses himself. But then again, they’re adults, right? These people want to govern our country soon.”
In protection
Dennis still has his doubts. “Shouldn’t you have protected Frans Timmermans a little bit?”
Strange question, Wilfred thinks. “Isn’t Timmermans old and wise enough? Yes, sorry, but I mean, these people want to do it themselves, right? It’s like playing top football, you are judged on that and that applies to this too. That’s not up to me. They enter the arena themselves.”
Aversion
Wilfred looks back with satisfaction on the much-watched debate. “It was striking to see that so much aversion arose, especially between Yesilgöz and Timmermans. “Stop it,” she said a few times. I really thought she was a bit out of character.”
He concludes: “I received a text from Alexander Pechtold this morning. “Good thing you left some space, because at least something will happen.” That was it. Then you can see better what kind of people they could be.”