Justin Trudeau has a Dutch doppelgänger and the internet can't get over him

A boyish 30-year-old who looks like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and sounds like former US President Barack Obama has emerged as a potential kingmaker in Dutch politics, riding a rare message of tolerance ahead of an election dominated by anti-immigrant rhetoric.

The youngest party leader in Dutch history, Jesse Klaver has been a member of the House of Representative since 2010. He has built up a strong following on social media and through small "meet up" events that began when he took over the party leadership in May of 2015.

The son of a Moroccan father and part Indonesian mother, Klaver has been on the forefront in the campaign warning against rising populism. "In the Netherlands, we have to show that populism can be stopped and there is an alternative. That alternative is us," Klaver said while addressing a rally last week.



“We stopped populism here in the Netherlands,” he told CNN, “and that is good news, because of the upcoming elections in France and Germany.”

But that’s not the only reason Klaver has become a social media sensation, his dark curls and boyish looks give him an unmistakable resemblance to Trudeau, the Canadian premier known for welcoming refugees.

And the internet can not stop highlighting the similarities between the two.

Justin Trudeau is so good he is winning Dutch too. :) @JustinTrudeau @jesseklaver #JustinTrudeau #JesseKlaver #Elections #Meme #Good pic.twitter.com/zpbc9ApOjn

— Shybu (@ShyBuzz) March 16, 2017

Umm... are Jesse Klaver and Justin Trudeau related? #cdnpoli #tk2017 #ikstem 🇳🇱 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/J8baN7cXqt

— Stephen (@TheAviator1992) March 15, 2017

https://twitter.com/zramaniah/status/842447998344921089

Is Justin Trudeau moonlighting as Jesse Klaver, leader of the Dutch Green Party? pic.twitter.com/Km4VEDjWKn

— Alan Shaw (@Alan24Shaw24) March 17, 2017

Dutch voters got rid of their #Trump and got their #Trudeau to power.#GeertWilders #JesseKlaver #Dutchvote pic.twitter.com/SkDJMwSDqg

— Farah | فرح (@souamesfarah) March 15, 2017

Green politician Jesse Klaver is being called the #Dutch Justin Trudeau https://t.co/2DVA9HCtgH #Netherlands #GreenParty #Cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/Y9i4VA286v

— Straight Blogs (@straightblogs) March 16, 2017

 

 

Much like Trudeau, the dutch doppelganger also believes in inclusion and welcomes refugees.



In an interview with Reuters before the elections, Klaver said that he would increase spending on renewable energy and address social problems that have led 40 per cent of Moroccan and Turkish immigrants to feel unwelcome.

"The values the Netherlands stands for, for many, many decades, centuries actually, its freedom, its tolerance, its empathy… they are destroying it," he said. "It's terrible when people are born in the Netherlands to have the feeling they are not part of this society and it is not something to be proud of, but something to be ashamed of. And I want to change that.”

"This is a change of hope, not of fear," he added.