Saturday March 7, Geert Wilders of the PVV (Partij voor de Vrijheid) visited Groningen for a political event in relation to the local city council 2026 elections on Wednesday, March 18th. He arrived on the Grote Markt in the center of the city around 13:00 in a luxury black BMW accompanied by a black large SUV with his bodyguards. The party parked in front of the old city hall building. A contra demonstration of left wing organizations and concerned citizens had already begun on a designated spot close in earshot and visible to where Wilders would arrive. A large crowd of supporters immediately gathered around the cars. Four or five bodyguards constantly shielded Wilders from the crowd, assisted by many police men and women who formed a second ring of protection. People constantly asked for selfies with Wilders, requests that he granted in large number. The party very slowly walked from the Grote Mark to the Vismarkt where Wilders visited the market stands. He stopped two times at a stand where he ate a snack and allowed selfies be made. All in all, his visit to Groningen lasted about 1 hour before he rushed out of Groningen in his black BMW. This visit to Groningen seemed to follow a normal course like all Wilders public appearances:a large crowd of supporter and curious people surrounding him asking for selfies and/or a handshake, amid a walk through the market and consuming a snack on one or two stands. The contra demonstration was very loud and Wilders must have noticed them. At the end, after Wilders had left, a group of 10-20 ultra right wing protesters arrived and the atmosphere turned very tensed. Police managed successfully to keep the various groups separated and quite soon the right wing protesters left the scene, also because they were far in the minority. See my photos below for an impression
Rijko Ebens
