Earlier in the day, a teacher at his son's school had explained the election results, discussing the differences between parties. Now Marcouch's son was terrified that the family would have to leave the country.
"It was heartbreaking," said Marcouch. But for the Moroccan-born mayor of the eastern Dutch city of Arnhem, it was also a worrying sign of just how deeply politics had veered into the personal.
PVV emerged as the most voted for party in the Gelderland province, home to Arnhem, with more than 20% backing promises that included the rejection of all new asylum claims, the banning of Islamic headscarves from public buildings, deporting dual national criminals and ending the free movement of EU workers.
This story is from the December 08, 2023 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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This story is from the December 08, 2023 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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