Geert Wilders Age , Career, Family, Net Worth, Height Bio 2024.

Geert Wilders was born on September 6, 1963 in Venlo, a city in the southeastern Netherlands close to the German border. He was the youngest of four children born to a printing company owner and a nurse.

Wilders had a comfortable middle-class upbringing. His family was Roman Catholic and he attended Catholic schools as a child. According to those who knew the Wilders family, they were discreet, hardworking people who mostly kept to themselves.

As a young boy, Wilders enjoyed sports and played on a local soccer team. He was an avid reader and developed an early interest in politics. Some accounts describe Wilders as a bit of a loner and bully as a youth. His brother Paul has said that Wilders was “a tough guy, cultured and well-read, but never very connected.”

What was Wilders’ family background?

Wilders came from a middle-class Roman Catholic family. His father owned a printing company and his mother was a nurse. He had three siblings and grew up in the southern Dutch city of Venlo. The Wilders family was described as hardworking, discreet people who kept to themselves.

Where did Wilders grow up?

Geert Wilders grew up in the city of Venlo, located in the southern Netherlands near the border with Germany. It was a medium-sized, predominantly Roman Catholic city that had little diversity compared to larger Dutch cities like Amsterdam or Rotterdam.

Teenage Years and Early Political Awakening

As Wilders moved through his teenage years, several events occurred that began to shape his political ideology and views:

Wilders’ Time in Israel

In 1981 at the age of 18, Wilders spent several months living on a moshav (cooperative farm) in Israel and working with disabled children. This experience exposed him to Israel and Judaism in a profound way. He was inspired by Israel’s pioneering spirit and the country became a lifelong focus.

The Loss of His Mother

The same year Wilders was in Israel, his mother suffered serious health problems related to alcoholism. He rarely spoke of her illness then or in subsequent years. She passed away unexpectedly in 1984 at the age of 46. The loss appears to have been very difficult for Wilders.

Some biographers propose that both his time in Israel and his mother’s death contributed to an increasing hatred of the Arab world and Islam. However, others argue the catalyst was his growing fear of loss of Dutch identity and culture.

Initial Activism and Early Politics

As a university student in the mid-1980s, Wilders became actively involved in center-right Dutch politics. He joined demonstrations against waste dumping in the Netherlands and the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

During this period, he also traveled in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, where he witnessed firsthand authoritarian governments and repression. These experiences reinforced what he viewed as threat to liberty and democratic values.

What events in Geert Wilders youth shaped his politics?

Several key events in Geert Wilders’ teenage years and early adulthood helped shape his conservative, nationalist political ideology:

• Living in Israel for several months when he was 18, which inspired a lifelong passion for Israel and skepticism toward the Arab/Muslim world.
• The unexpected death of his alcoholic mother when Wilders was 21, which caused him deep personal loss.
• Involvement in center-right activism as a university student, including protests over nuclear disasters and local issues. This stimulated Wilders’ concerns about repression of liberty.
• Travels in the authoritarian Middle East and behind the Iron Curtain, which exposed him directly to lack of democratic freedoms and human rights.

What traveling did Geert Wilders do as a young man?

As a university student in the 1980s, Wilders traveled extensively in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. He witnessed firsthand the restrictive, authoritarian governments that limited personal freedoms in countries such as Syria, Egypt, and the nations behind the Iron Curtain. These experiences reinforced his budding views about liberty, democracy, and perceived threats to Western values.

Early Career and Influences

After graduating university, Wilders initially worked in health insurance before pursuing politics full time in the early 1990s. This section covers his early career and political influences during this period leading up to his election.

Career at Health Insurance Company

From 1985–1990, Wilders worked at a private Dutch health insurance company managing in-kind and medical expenses. Little is known about his work beyond typical young professional duties. The job provided financial security as he became increasingly active politically during the late 1980s.

Influenced by Right-Wing Politician Frits Bolkestein

The dominant political influence on Wilders in the late 1980s and early 1990s was Frits Bolkestein, leader of Holland’s right-wing People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). Bolkestein argued that Islam and western European societal values were fundamentally incompatible.

Wilders embraced many of Bolkenstein’s positions, especially related to the perceived threat of increased Muslim immigration and influence in Dutch culture. These views sowed early seeds for many of Wilders later anti-immigration policies.

Initial Elections with the VVD

Wilders officially joined the VVD party in 1989. From 1990–1998 he served on the Utrecht City Council and worked effectively behind the scenes. In 1998, he was elected to the national Dutch parliament as a VVD member where he first gained notoriety for his contentious positions.

Year	Event
1985–1990	Wilders worked at a Dutch health insurance company
1989	Wilders joined the conservative VVD political party
1990–1998	Served as member of Utrecht City Council
1998	Elected to Dutch parliament for first time as VVD member

What early experiences moved Geert Wilders politically to the right?

Two key influences moved Wilders steadily to the right on the Dutch political spectrum as a young politician in the 1980s and 90s:

1. Mentorship from Frits Bolkestein – As leader of the conservative VVD party, Bolkestein argued against multiculturalism and warned about the “Islamization” of European society. This anti-immigrant rhetoric struck a chord with Wilders.
2. Firsthand travel in Middle East – Wilders’ direct experience with repression and lack of personal freedoms while traveling in authoritarian Arab countries reinforced his building hostility toward to Islamic culture and religion.

Split from the VVD Party

Wilders served as an increasingly visible member of parliament for the VVD party from 1998-2004. During this period however, he grew dissatisfied with the party’s moderation on issues like immigration and Turkey joining the EU.

Parliamentary Focus and Early Controversies

As a VVD parliament member, Wilders focused heavily on security policy, social security, and more far-reaching crime prevention programs. He caused early controversy proposing special taxes for head scarves and banning access to public institutions for women wearing burqas or veils.

Anti-Islam Hostility Increases

Following Al-Qaeda’s attacks in the U.S. on September 11, 2001 and the subsequent murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh in 2004, Wilders rhetoric against Islam and Muslim immigrants became increasingly hostile. He began receiving personal death threats for his public comments.

2004 Tipping Point – Wilders Leaves the VVD

The final break came in 2004 when Wilders refused to support the VVD’s position approving Turkey’s admittance into the European Union. He left the party that year to start his own independent political movement focused on restricting Muslim immigration and influence in the Netherlands.

How did 9/11 and Theo van Gogh’s murder change Wilders?

The Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and the high-profile 2004 murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh both served to severely ratchet up Wilders’ already growing hostility toward Islam. After these events, he began making ever more strident anti-Muslim remarks in public forums and receiving death threats as a result. His rhetoric became essentially anti-jihad and his break with the VVD party came shortly thereafter over disagreements about Turkey joining the EU.

The Peak of Geert Wilders Political Power

The peak of Wilders’ political power and influence extended from around 2005 to 2010. Riding a wave of European anti-Muslim sentiment, his newly founded Freedom Party (PVV) first gained national prominence.

Founding of the Freedom Party (PVV)

In February 2005, Wilders formed his own political party initially called “Group Wilders” with himself as its sole member. Seven months later in the Hague, the Party for Freedom (PVV) was officially founded. Its central platform opposed Islamization and called for restricting immigration from Muslim countries, banning burqas, and promoting assimilation.

The PVV Enters Parliament in 2006

In the 2006 Dutch parliamentary elections, Wilders and the PVV ran on the slogans “Make the Netherlands Ours Again” and “Enough is Enough.” The party received nearly 6% of the national vote and gained 9 out of 150 seats to enter parliament. Wilders declared he would be a “resistance fighter” against Islam.

Key PVV Positions 2006-2010

• Complete stop to non-western immigration
• Repatriation of immigrants who “refuse to assimilate”
• Banning Qurans and head scarves/burqas
• Taxing hijabs
• Strong support for Israel against “Islamo-fascism”

During this period, the PVV’s platform expanded beyond just limiting Muslim influence. It included planks supporting women’s rights and gay rights, cracking down on crime, raising the retirement age, and supporting animal rights. But the party’s central focus remained counter-jihad policies aimed at what it saw as the increasing “Islamization” of Dutch society.

What were some of the PVV’s main political positions?

In its initial 2006 parliamentary campaign and over the next several years in parliament, the PVV and Wilders promoted several hardline anti-Islam political positions:

• Complete stop to immigration from Muslim countries
• Banning Islamic head scarves and burqas in public places
• Supporting gay/women’s rights
• Tough law and order measures
• Promoting assimilation and stopping repatriation payments
• Taxing hijabs
• Opposing Turkey joining the EU
• Strongly defending Israel against “Islamo-fascists”

Legal Battles Over Hate Speech

Beginning around 2007, Wilders was repeatedly charged with criminal hate speech related to his harsh anti-Islamic remarks. He conducted his legal defenses as public campaigns for free speech that boosted his popularity with voters.

Prosecutions Related to Short Anti-Islam Film

In 2008 Wilders produced a 10 minute film called Fitna (strife) juxtaposing violent passages from the Quran with images of terrorist acts. Jordan sought to extradite Wilders over the film and Dutch prosecutors brought charges. He was ultimately acquitted in a major 2011 trial after a year of proceedings.

Ongoing Indictments and Lawsuits

Further indictments and civil lawsuits accusing Wilders of hate speech followed over the next decade related to interviews, public comments, and his calls to ban immigration and the Quran. The charges resulted in a series of contentious public trials across the Netherlands that served to boost Wilders’ fame and validate his self-portrayal as a crusader against political correctness.

What types of speech led to Geert Wilders arrests?

Prosecutors repeatedly charged Wilders with criminal hate speech offenses over his blistering anti-Islam remarks in various public forums during his political career:

• A 2008 short film called Fitna that juxtaposed the Quran with terrorist acts
• Interviews where Wilders compared the Quran to Hitler’s Mein Kampf
• Calling for bans on immigration and Islamic head scarves
• Supporting cartoon contest seen as insulting toward the Prophet Muhammad
• Statements referring to Moroccans as “scum”

These comments resulted in a series of arrests and trials for discrimination and inciting hatred from around 2008 to 2016. Wilders was either acquitted outright or found guilty but not punished.

How did Wilders use his trials to boost his popularity?

Wilders employed his numerous indictments and trials to reinforce his image as:

1. A “resistance fighter” against the perceived Islamization of Europe
2. A champion of free speech against politically correct censors
3. A defender of traditional western and Dutch values

His legal battles provided international publicity and allowed Wilders to portray himself as a martyr for these conservative populist causes. Voter support generally rose after after each high-profile trial or arrest.

Declining Influence Post-2010

Though still an important force in Dutch politics, Wilders’ influence began declining after 2010. His party lost seats in subsequent elections even as immigration issues and Euroskepticism continued rising across Europe.

Brief PVV Support for Minority Government

Following the fractured 2010 parliamentary elections, Wilders and the PVV briefly provided parliamentary support for a minority center-right coalition government. But the arrangement collapsed in 2012 over disagreements about austerity measures during the European debt crisis.

Flat Electoral Support and Loss of Influence

In the 2012 parliamentary elections, the PVV retained 15 seats even as other Euroskeptic parties rose across Europe. But beginning in 2014, erosion began in advance of 2017 elections. The party ultimately dropped to just 10 seats and found itself frozen out of any governing coalitions under Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Wilders’ Ongoing Legacy

Though lacking the political clout of his peak years, Wilders remains an influential force often dominating immigration debates. His rhetoric also echoes in nationalist politicians across Europe.

Continued Role as Political Provocateur

Wilders actively posts on Twitter to his 823,000 followers commenting on terrorism cases and immigration policies. He refers to Moroccans as “scum” and to Muslim immigrants as “poison.” While such comments resulted in his 2016 conviction for inciting discrimination, they perpetuate his notoriety.

Lasting Impact on Immigration Dialogue

By forcing discussion on multiculturalism, assimilation, and immigration restrictions, Wilders played a crucial role cementing these debates within the Dutch national dialogue regardless of whether specific policies pass. Most mainstream politicians shifted rightward, coopting thePVV’s positions to attract its voters even while distancing themselves from Wilders’ extremism.

Influence on European Far Right Movements

Wilders played an important early role pioneering a new far right political ideology hostile to Muslim immigration and focused on cultural preservation. These attitudes clearly presaged stances later echoed by France’s Marine Le Pen, pro-Brexit U.K. nationalist Nigel Farage, and even U.S. President Donald Trump.

So while Wilders himself lacked the momentum to dominate long-term, many of his anti-immigration ideas proved widely influential. They will continue impacting political undercurrents for years to come both in the Netherlands and across Europe. The central debates around immigration restrictions and assimilation vs. multiculturalism show little sign of receding.

FAQs About Geert Wilders Childhood and Early Politics

What religion was Wilders raised as?

As a child, Wilders and his family were part of the mainstream Roman Catholic establishment in the Netherlands. However, Wilders rarely discusses his current religious beliefs. His political ideology is primarily secular, cultural nationalism focused on fighting Islamic influence rather than promoting Christian identity.

Did Wilders have problems as a kid?

Some scattered accounts suggest young Wilders may have had anger control issues and been something of loner. His brother Paul called him “a tough guy” who had difficultly forming close relationships early on. But overall information remains limited about Wilders’ personality and development prior to early adulthood.

Where did Wilders go to university?

In 1983, Wilders graduated from secondary school in Venlo then completed compulsory military service in the Royal Dutch Army. He later studied economics at the Dutch Open University where in 1992 he received a BA and graduate MA level degrees. This nine-year period as a student gave him time to formulate his political views.

Why was Israel important to Wilders politically?

Wilders spent several months living in Israel after high school where he worked at a cooperative farm with disabled youths. This direct exposure to Israel and Judaism had profound impact, catalyzing Wilders’ strong subsequent political support for Zionism along with hostility toward Arab nationalism and Islamism.

What anti-Islam public figures influenced Wilders?

The key anti-Islamic voice shaping Wilders early political development was conservative Dutch parliamentarian Frits Bolkestein, who during the 1990s stridently argued Islam posed an existential threat to Western values. Various Dutch intellectuals likewise condemned multiculturalism and tolerance toward Muslim immigrants. These views clearly shaped Wilders even prior to 9/11 and his own clashes with radical Islamists.

Conclusion

Geert Wilders has made restricting Muslim immigration and cultural influence the centerpiece of his political agenda since splitting with the mainstream VVD party in 2004 to form his populist Freedom Party (PVV). His hostile rhetoric toward Islam and repeated prosecutions for hate speech have both outraged critics and boosted his visibility with Dutch voters concerned about cultural identity and radical Islamic terrorism.

Key influences radicalizing the young Wilders included early travels exposing him to Middle Eastern repression, his close connections with prominent anti-Islamic mentors like Frits Bolkestein, and traumatic events like 9/11 and filmmaker Theo van Gogh’s murder. By 2010, these catalyzing factors combined with growing anti-immigrant attitudes across Europe to provide electoral success for Wilders’ PVV and other similar single-issue nationalist parties preoccupied with blocking Muslim immigration and trappings like mosques or ritual slaughter.

However, after influencing the national dialogue and pulling the mainstream Dutch right toward a harder line against multiculturalism, Wilders’ own political fortunes peaked around 2010 then tapered off due to his polarizing persona and increasing extremism. Nevertheless, the populist concepts he mainstreamed regarding immigration limits, assimilation expectations, and curbs on foreign cultural influence seem firmly lodged for the long term within both Dutch politics specifically and the European political landscape more broadly.

So while Wilders himself remains