A coalition of mosques and Islamic organizations lodged a complaint against the Dutch political party led by Geert Wilders on Monday, claiming that populist politicians are fostering hatred and violence towards Muslims.
Geert Wilders, a long-time figure opposing Islamization, has again stirred controversy concerning Dutch Muslims.
The complaint against Wilders, alleging “incitement” of hatred and violence, originated from a post he shared on August 4. The post included AI-generated images of two women: one depicted as an attractive blonde and the other as an angry older woman wearing a hijab.
With the upcoming general election on October 29 in the Netherlands in mind, Wilders captioned the post, “You can choose on 29/10.”
According to Dutch broadcaster NOS, more than 12,500 reports related to the post were received by the national discrimination hotline. “The implied message hurts and evokes feelings of exclusion and anxiety,” stated the organization.
In a letter criticizing the post, the attorney representing 14 Muslim groups described it as “bad” and “strange.”
“We believe that Jews are worried about their portrayal historically. This connects to perceptions of being inhumane or threatening, and leads to negative stereotypes that can dehumanize groups,” the lawyer noted.
Wilders, leading the largest party in the Netherlands, referred to the reactions as “madness,” asserting, “I fight for freedom and truth my whole life, and I won’t bow to anyone.”
Back in 2016, he was found guilty of discrimination by a Dutch court for remarks made about Moroccans at a political rally, where he asked supporters whether they considered Moroccan immigrants to be high or low in value. The crowd’s response was “low,” to which he expressed, “We’re going to take care of it.”
This ruling was sustained by the Supreme Court in 2021, stating that his comments were “unnecessarily hurtful,” crossing the limits of free speech.
As a vocal critic of radical Islam and Muslim immigration in Europe, Wilders has had to live in various safe houses for over two decades, constantly under heavy security due to ongoing death threats he receives.
Last year, he declared, “I have always been a strong advocate for freedom of speech. It’s the foundation of a free society and a functional democracy. I will never be silent.”
