Jetten accuses Wilders of exploiting the tragedy while rejecting a 10 million euro plan to combat the killing of women
The murder of young Lisa (17 years old) from Apkoude sparked a fierce political confrontation in The Hague. During the discussion about the future of the Schoof I government after the withdrawal of the NSC party, PVV leader Geert Wilders exploited the tragedy to urge people to vote for his party. He claimed that people of non-Western descent are suspected of being involved in sexual crimes more than the Dutch, and accused asylum centers of threatening public safety.
Wilders referred to the crime of Lisa's murder, linking it to an asylum seeker. He said in parliament: "That poor 17-year-old girl was killed by someone from a refugee center, who was released after committing a sexual offense. This must never happen again. If you want change, vote for the PVV party, and if you are satisfied, go to D66."
D66 leader Rob Jetten strongly responded, accusing Wilders of exploiting the tragedy. He described the crime as "truly horrific" and said it shook the entire country. He criticized Wilders' silence until he managed to pin the blame on an asylum seeker, emphasizing that Wilders only talks about women's rights or LGBTQ+ rights if it serves his anti-immigration agenda.
Jetten reminded the parliament that Wilders opposed several measures aimed at protecting women, including a 10 million euro plan to combat femicide and misogyny, a national hotline for victims of violence, and enhancing protection against psychological violence. He said: "Every eight days a woman is killed in the Netherlands. Women do not feel safer with the hatred that Mr. Wilders spreads here daily."
The details of the crime are still under investigation. Lisa left the Leidseplein area in Amsterdam on her bicycle around 3:30 AM on August 20 after a night out with friends. She called the police when a man harassed her, but within 40 minutes her body was found in a water canal in Duivendrecht. The police arrested a 22-year-old man on Friday, who had been charged with raping a woman in Amsterdam a week earlier. Although he was staying in a refugee center, the police clarified that he was arrested for rape after Lisa's murder, which contradicts Wilders' claims that he was released a week before the crime.