Look, if you make ‘fake news’ your favourite thing to say, and then call everything you hear ‘fake news’, at some point you are going to be wrong, and someone is going to throw you on your damn ass over it.
That’s what happened with US ambassador to the Netherlands, Pete Hoekstra, who is a big fan of Trump and his favourite turn of phrase. Hoekstra, who was only sworn in on the 11th of December, was pulled up by Dutch journo Wouter Zwart over his comments on so-called ‘no go zones’.
For the uninitiated, ‘no go zones’ are a favourite right-wing talking point. Some claim that there are areas of Europe which are so controlled by Muslims that police cannot enter. The evidence for such places is scarce, but it’s a favourite talking point anyway.
Zwart says: “You mentioned in a debate that there are no-go zones in the Netherlands, and that cars and politicians are being set on fire in the Netherlands.”
The new US ambassador to the Netherlands says this is “fake news”.
That he never claimed there were “no-go” zones in the county or “cars burning” in the streets.
Then they played a clip of him saying just that… ????????????????pic.twitter.com/QMmG7Q2N2b
— HOPE not hate (@hopenothate) December 22, 2017
“I didn’t say that,” Hoekstra said. “This is actually an incorrect statement. We would call it fake news.”
At that point, Zwart shows Hoekstra a video of him saying exactly that – basically word for word:
The Islamic movement has now gotten to a point where they have put Europe into chaos. Chaos in the Netherlands, there are cars being burnt, there are politicians that are being burnt … and yes there are no-go zones in the Netherlands.
After being shown the clips, Hoekstra changes his tune. “I didn’t call that fake news. I didn’t use the words today. I don’t think I did.”
Great stuff, folks.
