Ceeb Radio Show Host Clearly Off Her "Progressive" Rocker

Last night on CBC radio show As It Happens, host Carol Off spoke with a former Dutch politician who used to be--but is no longer--a member of Geert Wilders's Freedom Party. It's clear that Off, a typical CBC "progressive" squish-brain, was expecting the man to (sorry) go off on Wilders. And clearly, too, she was flummoxed when that didn't exactly happen.

Here's but a snippet from the glorious back-and-forth:

CO: You left his [Wilders's] party because you didn't feel he could compromise. But then, you clearly support the idea that there is a problem with immigration. But do you go as far as he says? Do you agree that you should prevent refugees, to stop immigration from Muslim countries, to ban Quran, to ban the mosques? Do you agree with that?

WIM KORTENOEVEN: No no no, not at all, not at all. This is where, if I would have been in the party [chuckles] now, I would have left because of the program that he's pushing to the public. I mean, this is against the constitution, he knows that.

CO: He's slipping in the polls. There's a flash poll today that indicates that he's dropping quite a bit. Do you think that's because of the extremism of his policies or is it something else?

WIM KORTENOEVEN: No no. That has nothing to do with it I’m afraid. It has to do with the fact that the Turkish riots in the inner cities of Rotterdam and Amsterdam this weekend gave the prime minister an opportunity to pose himself as a real statesman and a leader.

CO: So do Dutch people otherwise support his anti-Muslim ideas?

WIM KORTENOEVEN: Yes, I think rightly so. People are really fed up with the way the present elite has ruled this country, in particular with the immigration file. People feel unsafe, they feel their future is in jeopardy. And what happens is that Mr. Wilders steps into that feeling.

CO: But said, you yourself, where is your line then? You're saying that you don't support the extremism of Mr. Wilders but you are clearly believing that immigrants and migrants are creating these problems in your country.

WIM KORTENOEVEN: Yes, they’re not the only ones who create problems but they are part of the problem. Yes. And I don't want to generalize the migrants that are performing pretty well.

CO: Well are you.

WIM KORTENOEVEN: I am?

CO: You’ve been saying that they're creating all these problems to the economy.

WIM KORTENOEVEN: Yeah, yeah, but this is like a statistical fact. I mean, there is also the fact that Moroccan citizens of the Netherlands have dual nationality top all the crime statistics.

CO: But again, this idea, is it you're saying it’s because they're Muslim? Because of Islam? Or because of other issues, other social issues that might have led to that?

WIM KORTENOEVEN: Well no, look look, I'm not a simple guy. I mean, I studied history and political science and I have two degrees also in Middle Eastern studies. I know what I'm talking about Mrs. There is here a big problem, also with culture, it doesn’t only has to do with religion. There's also tribal society that has taken root here. And I'm not a racist, the party of Wilders is not racist. I mean, if I—

CO: [interposing] The party’s not racist? The Freedom Party is not racist?

WIM KORTENOEVEN: No, the party is not racist.

CO: When the leader calls Moroccans scum, that’s not racism?

WIM KORTENOEVEN: I’m sorry, Moroccan scum?

CO: He’s called them—

WIM KORTENOEVEN: Well, there is Moroccan scum. But he’s not suggesting that every Moroccan is scum, that’s rubbish.

CO: Well he was charged and convicted for racism, so how is he not a racist?

WIM KORTENOEVEN: Yes, of course, there was a, look, there was a political trial here with Mr. Wilders. And look, there’s much to say about that, but perhaps should interview him about that. There is a real problem here with groups of migrants. Most of them are on welfare, most of them do not accept our culture as the culture that they should refer to. And this is a problem. I mean, if somebody--

CO: Why is it a problem? Why is it a problem? In our country we have people of all kinds of cultures, they're allowed to enjoy their past, including Dutch and Europeans.

WIM KORTENOEVEN: Well, I wish you a lot of luck. I had colleagues of you, also from Canada, who were still cheering that the open border policy of your prime minister was in my view very naive. The open border policy is so liberal. That is the same policy that the Swedes had and it destroyed their inner cities. And you will find out--

CO: Well it’s the same policy, it’s the same policy.

WIM KORTENOEVEN: You will find that out.