Leader of Dutch Far-Right Party was HIt with a Beer Bottle Two Days before the Election

The leader of a far-right Dutch populist party was hit on the head with a beer bottle today in an attack two days before parliamentary elections in the Netherlands, the Associated Press reported.

The leader of the Forum for Democracy party, Thierry Baudet, was taken to hospital in the city of Groningen after being attacked during a local event, the party said in a post on “X” (until recently, Twitter). "It looks like everything will be fine," the party added.

Voor de tweede keer wordt Thierry Baudet aangevallen. Hij wordt op zijn hoofd geslagen met een flesje in Groningen.

Ik kan met niet voorstellen dat dit toeval is. Dit is bewust opgezet om, de enige werkelijke oppositie, Baudet te intimideren.pic.twitter.com/s8IUE22qOU

— Kees (@Kees71234) November 20, 2023

It later said Baudet, 40, was taken to a trauma center for treatment after being hit on the head and near the eye with a beer bottle. A security guard was also injured.

Footage from a video posted on social media shows an attacker taunting Baudet in a bar. The leader of the far-right party was then quickly taken away and the assailant subdued.

A police spokesman said a man had been arrested on suspicion of carrying out the attack. Motives are still under investigation.

Baudet’s party said on “X” that an event planned for later today in another city had been canceled "due to his health and safety". It did not elaborate further.

"Forum for Democracy" jumped to the fore in the 2019 provincial elections, after winning them with more than 1 million votes, according to the AP. The party has since been rocked by internal discontent, but still controls five seats in the 150-seat lower house of the Dutch parliament. According to a public opinion poll published this evening, Forum for Democracy will win between three and five seats in the upcoming elections.

Last month, Baudet was hit on the head with an umbrella during an event in the Belgian city of Ghent.

Acting Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in a post on “X” that it was "completely unacceptable that Thierry Bodet should be attacked again. I've said it before and I'm saying it emphatically now: Don't touch politicians," he added. Rutte also said he contacted Baudet to wish him well.

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