I have been active for a few years within our party now and I can’t say I have made friends. Sure, I like working with them and we have hang out occasionally but that’s about it. We get along fine and we can do the work that’s required from us.

My actual friend group is diverse. Over here in Belgium it is pretty left leaning but not always communist. They’re just people who I met throughout the years with whom I share interests. They do help me out with party stuff and they are sympathetic towards my efforts, so that’s good I think.

Back in The Netherlands I have my childhood friends group and they are probably even further removed from me politically speaking. One of my friends even is a politician for VVD, the right wing neolib party. But they are still my friends with whom I have experienced so much. Whenever we get together we have a lot of fun despite political differences. I try to keep looking at the person behind the politics. It’s what we do with our party whenever someone says they for far right for example. You can either alienate them or try to talk to them to see where there is common ground and to see if you can get them on your side.

Things are almost never that black and white. I get along fine with most people and my world would remain very small if I instantly shut down connections with people that have different views. That being said, if one of my friends was an outright neonazi I’d cut ties. I do have my limits.