Leefbaar Rotterdam raadslid Michiel Smit: “Er is een ding erger dan een Neger, een blanke Neger!”
Op 6 maart schudt Rotterdam op zijn grondvesten. Pim Fortuyns Leefbaar Rotterdam haalt bijna 35 procent van de stemmen en komt met zeventien personen in de Rotterdamse raad. De kersverse raadsleden hebben enkele overeenkomsten, but also major differences. De opmerkelijkste figuur naast Fortuyn is zonder meer fractiesecretaris Michiel Jorg Smit. Smit braakt sinds zijn installatie een niet aflatende stroom vreemdelingenhaat uit. Hij is daarmee meer dan een typische representant van Fortuyns anti-vreemdelingenretoriek. Michiel Smit slaat een brug van extreem-rechts naar het fortuynisme.
Na zijn installatie op 15 maart laat Smit er weinig gras over groeien. Drie dagen later stelt hij zijn eerste schriftelijke vragen over problemen met drugsdealers. Een maand later keert hij zich in een open brief aan een Rotterdamse woningbouwvereniging tegen het huisvesten van uitgeprocedeerde asielzoekers: “Illegalen worden in één adem genoemd met studenten en werkende jongeren. Dit is in mijn ogen een grof schandaal. Uw prioriteit zou moeten liggen bij de laatste twee groepen, die veel moeite hebben om woonruimte in de stad te vinden. Woonruimte verstrekken aan illegaal in Rotterdam verblijvende mensen zorgt ervoor dat er minder woningen overblijven voor de andere groepen, die deze woningen dolgraag zouden willen hebben.”
Vervolgens bemoeit Smit zich met een incident in Eindhoven. Daar werden twee meisjes in een zwembad aangerand door een aantal jeugdige spelers van de Rotterdamse voetbalclub Sparta. Hij stelt hierover vragen in de raad en schrijft een boze brief aan Sparta. Waarom hij dit incident eruit pikt zegt hij hier niet, maar vertelt hij wel op een Internet-forum:
“Het wordt stil gezwegen, terwijl normaal al een verkeerd petje op al een royement als lid van Sparta betekend. Have pictures and names of the perpetrators: all immigrant, 6 van 15, 1 van 13, pride in deed, create about it on. Outrageous that nothing happened! Got that picture of someone. Have agreed that we did wait a while. And I keep my word against him. Those guys their football career to be over, let that be clear. Otherwise we get in the future even more Seedorfjes and Jib Parties. Disseminate photo I like trump.”
In June Smit showcases its “funny” see side. He asks questions to the Municipal&W about “jeugdvakantie paspoort 2002” met tips voor de zomervakantie. Tot Smits ergernis staan er echter ook vertalingen in het Arabisch, Turks en Portugees in en vraagt hij onder andere waarom er geen Chinese vertaling aanwezig is. Weer een maand later vraagt Smit het college het hemd van het lijf over radicale Imams in Rotterdam. Zo pleit hij onder andere voor het invoeren van Nederlands of Fries in Moskeeën in Nederland en Vlaanderen: “In Nederland is de officiële taal Nederlands, de tweede taal is Fries. The sermons of the imams must therefore in Dutch or in 't Fries. This affects our education directly- culture and politics in Rotterdam, Netherlands and Belgium (Vlaanderen).”
Last month, Smith finally pleaded for the release of a number of Somalis who have assaulted a pregnant woman. This he wrote a letter to Minister Nawijn: This group of people will abuse the hospitality that our country offers them. Do you agree with us that this group should be eligible for repatriation?”
The harsh tone of Smits will ask the Rotterdam council might cause frowning, for people viewing Smits further activity that is certainly not the case. Michiel Smit is currently one of the main bridge figures between the Fortuyn movement and classic extreme right. He has good contacts with the Rotterdam NNP department and particularly the NNP-part councilor and party chairman Florens van der Kooi. These contacts sticking Smit determined not hide.
The NNP currently has two part councilors in Feyenoord Rotterdam, Florens van der Kooi en Jan Teijn. When Jan Teijn in the council a speech about the murder of Fortuyn and the line goes to the opposition faced by the NNP, reports the NNP homepage: “However, it was a pleasant surprise to note, that there was much to our surprise someone in the public gallery of Liveable Rotterdam (the party where Pim Fortuyn was part of). The person in question popped up to us to have a chat and appeared to be very pleased with our argument.” Michiel Smit so. Florens van der Kooi, Smit turn high expectations: “Think the new president of the NNP, Florens van der Kooi, can provide a new impetus. Young people to gather around and put the past behind them. Combative towards the next election!”
The newly established youth organization of the NNP, de Nieuwe Nationale Jongeren, can count on moral support from Smit. He writes in their guestbook: “Wish you every success with this. Until now if you are only Turkish Nationalist, laten we hopen dat het Nationalisme in Nederland weer sterker wordt als beweging tegen de islamisering van onze samenleving. We have to come out of our shell and fight against.”
Why Smit as close to the NNP to interfere is a good question. You can expect given its own political ideas that he is sympathetic to the ideas of the party. Moreover, he says, to appreciate the street activism and militancy of the Rotterdam party. Maar er is meer aan de hand. When Fortuyn was introduced by Liveable Netherlands expecting the NNP much salvation. Not so much that the party leadership was expecting that Fortuyn would take all the ideas of the party, but it was hoping for an interesting interaction. The political success of Fortuyn would the extreme ideas of the NNP namely much more moderate and therefore appear more acceptable. Simultaneously, the presence of the NNP Fortuyn would provide the opportunity to present itself even more right-wing. Smit also inaugurates itself such ideas: “For a party like the LPF is easier to take right positions, if another party is on the right. Seems like a nice thing to work on. You have my support!” en “Both parties (LPF and NNP, Kafka) are important, let's not forget the common goals. Hope that the NNP will also grow in organization, membership and Representatives. Well there is a real nationalist party. What I wonder: NNP representatives in the district of Rotterdam Feyenoord will liaise with Liveable Rotterdam?” It has everything that Smith sees room for a political movement to the right of Liveable Rotterdam / LPF and herein for himself a role looks laid off.
However, the NNP is not the only party which Smit has contact. In June he was planning to visit on behalf of Liveable Rotterdam to Antwerp VB. This appointment came about through VB-executive Tanguy Veys, who also has contacts with NNP'ers. Smith eventually cancel the appointment under heavy pressure from his group. He himself saw no objection to the visit. Group Chairman Sørensen stated remarkable enough that Liveable Rotterdam in no way an association wants with the far-right Flemish party. Smits public activities for the NNP are obviously not in the same category.
On the Internet, Smith showed off his more radical side. Smit is in fact long been active in the neo-Nazi Internet forum “Stormfront Netherlands and Flanders”, where right-wing extremists of all sorts meet. Smit post there under the pseudonym “wooninrotterdam”. This activity is very noteworthy for two reasons. First, there is no doubt about the character of this forum and the discussions. The swastikas, Hitler portraits, anti-Jewish remarks and references to gas chambers fly the visitor to the ears. The fact that Smit since its registration in May, The Forum continues to visit and used to vent his opinion, clearly indicates that he bore no such radical Nazi sentiments scare. Secondly Smits presence is remarkable by the content of his postings. Of course he loves the other forum members aware of his own political activities, but in addition he also discusses in no uncertain way along. In response to the controversy surrounding the sexual assault in the Eindhoven pool a forum member suggests to keep a great purge action in swimming pools. Smit answer: “For me, actions should be increased. Now nothing happens, must be made clear once again how we think about as whites. Would rather start with sticker campaign, demonstration or something. There is a lot of sympathy among this Dutch. Tougher actions are for later.” He also suggests to set up in the district of the training fields of Sparta residents against the presence of ethnic minority players.
In another discussion forum members make a fuss about white youth who are interested in black culture, such as hip-hop and r&b. They adorn these young people with the epithet “Whiggers”, of te wel White Niggers. Michiel Smit does in this debate an oar in: “Er is een ding erger dan een Neger, a white nigger!”
Also on another forum that is very popular among extreme right online, POLINCO (#1), Michiel Smit operates under the pseudonym “wooninrotterdam”. Again, his remarkable contribution. Polinco is clearly less radical than Stormfront, but no less controversial. With the frequency of the clock are very racist, violent and extremist posts. Smit on Stormfront a passive participant, at Polinco he sees a more active role for itself. So he wants the administrator of the forum give structural funds. In addition, he can to make a contribution to the press policy of Polinco: “Write press releases regularly yourself and would like to think and do.”
But besides the organizational contribution of Smit, let him also know the content on this forum. When one of the most radical Nazis example an epistle post, in which advocates a white Dutch society, Smit says vote here fully in. According to Smit will even justify coercion, when talking does not help.
Summarizing Smith is a man with a clear purpose that he sells with two faces. He wants Liveable Rotterdam and the NNP promote broad-based right-wing movement in which he can express his own ideas. What to keep these ideas are just trying Smit hidden. If the council member of Livable Rotterdam, he is committed to putting the boundaries of much inconvenience possible delivery-income immigrants. If anonymous participant in far-right debates he shows his true face and he calls for a white society.
That Councillor Smit may propagate his ideas openly says a lot about Liveable Rotterdam. With the “everything must finally said” as an excuse, the party late committed by Smit for promoting and legitimizing outright racism.
What is amazing to maintaining Smit is not that Sørensen tries to hold together his group. With the specter of the LPF in mind that more than conceivable. The wonder is that Liveable Rotterdam and the coalition partners have taken the board knowledge of the radical ideas of Smit. Then, there are now only made an issue of the fact that he has been active in the mentioned web forums and not about the things that he has said. Sørensen condones Smits to action by stating that he was also active in Moroccan and socialist sites, but says nothing about the racist content of his posts. Thereby bringing Liveable Rotterdam (and thus the Rotterdam council) a lot of problems in the neck. Smit will undoubtedly be able to keep his mouth shut for a shorter or longer time and the other to look away when he encounters a NNP'er. His political views, however, he is shaking not just on themselves. Smith wants to take itself seriously, then it is a matter of time before he brings his radical ideas out again. And then the damage will affect not only his own political career, but his group, who have known all the time whom they held a hand above the head.
The fall of the Balkenende has unexpected consequences for Michiel Smit. He was approached by the new batch of Winny de Jong, de Conservatieven.nl, and candidate for the parliamentary elections in 2003. “We are very pleased with the candidacy of Michael Smith because of his political experience as a councilor of Rotterdam and his knowledge in the field of safety, integration and immigration”, According to the party. Smit this also breaks the silence period imposed by Liveable Rotterdam. On the site of the Conservatieven.nl he pulls again to battle against the education of immigrants in their native language and he does a campaign for positive image of young Moroccans off as "government indoctrination to communist model '.
music:
1. Polinco stands for Politically Incorrect. The forum was founded by a group of right-wing troublemakers. This group clinched several Web Forums, bullied other participants away, after which the forum was closed because it had become an extreme right-together. When this group was no longer welcome they established their own forum.
2. Pictures of the meeting and apologies Smit appearing at Radio Rijnmond
