Tij van den Brink does not find it acceptable that, as a prominent journalist, he has been ignored for eleven years by Geert Wilders, the leader of the largest party in the Netherlands. “Consistent.”
It is no secret that Geert Wilders has a difficult relationship with the press. The leader of the PVV does not like to appear on television talk shows and we actually only see him appear here and there around election time. According to Op1 presenter Tijs van den Brink, this must change now that he has become the biggest.
No Tijs for eleven years
Tijs hopes that Wilders will take more responsibility in his new role. He points out that the politician takes the edge off a bit in the hope of being able to govern.
The Op1 star writes in his column: “If you do change your behavior, are you prepared to act normally again towards journalists? Can we just interview you again now and then? For the past eleven years, you have consistently denied all my interview requests. Don’t get me wrong: that is allowed. You are not obligated to do anything.”
Also in the media
However, it would be civilized, Tijs thinks. “If you want to act normal, if you want to be a responsible politician, this is part of a democratic constitutional state. Have you interviewed occasionally and held accountable. Not only in parliament, but also in the media.”
He concludes: “Don’t you think it would have helped if you had been interviewed more often in recent years? Would you have realized sooner that you were making all kinds of proposals that were contrary to the Constitution? We would have loved to ask you about it a few times…”
Not boycotted
How do sympathizers of Wilders respond to these statements by Tijs? One Leon: “I completely agree with Wilders. And this tweet confirms it again. Wilders, but also other PVV members or FvD, are almost always boycotted by the left-wing NPO, so what do you expect, that they suddenly want to come? How hypocritical!”
Tij denies that: “He is not being boycotted, he is boycotting me/us. For 11 years.”
Into the corner
Someone Els understands that Wilders does not want to talk to Tijs. “I understand very well that Mr Wilders rejects the interview requests, because you are pushed into a corner at the NPO and have no influence on what is cut from your interview.”
And RoddelPraat presenter Jan Roos: “What nonsense. In a democratic constitutional state, no one has the obligation to be interviewed.”
Column
Tijs’s column: