Geert Gaining Ground in Holland

Picking up on Pastorius' post regarding Geert Wilders, the BBC's Mark Mardell has an intriguing write-up in reference to the rambunctious "Flying Dutchman":

Three black cars screech into the market square. Shoppers enjoying the sun and a break in one of the many cafes around the square look up from their drinks and ice creams.

About ten serious-looking men in suits with bulges under their jackets get out of the back two cars and position themselves around the front vehicle. One carries a fold-out, body-length bullet-proof shield.

Who can be in the front car? The prime minister? A member of the Dutch royal family? Suddenly a white blond quiff emerges, followed by its owner, Geert Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party (PVV).

He may not be royalty but he is, according to some opinion polls, more popular than the Dutch government and hopes to do well in the European elections. He wants to hold a referendum to demonstrate the Dutch people are against the Lisbon Treaty, as they were against the constitution, and wants to take powers back from Brussels. But that's not why he grabs the attention.

He is the Netherlands' Mr Provocative, determined to poke sensitive Muslim opinion in the eye. But is he the heir to the mantle of the extreme right or a post-modern populist? Where does his PVV fit in the political spectrum?

He's been banned from Britain, is being prosecuted in the Netherlands for hate crimes, has made a film about the Koran - a book he wants banned - and promises a second film that will be just as forthright.

Why, I ask him, does he wanted to ban the holy book of Islam?

"It is a book full of incitement to violence and I am very much for freedom of speech. Incitement to violence is over the red line. I have nothing against Muslims, but I fear, and a lot of my voters fear, the growing Islamisation of Europe, of the Netherlands, of Britain, of Denmark, of many European countries. So although we have nothing against Muslims as such, we believe that immigration and the influx of the Islamic symbolism is changing our society."

He's very much against Turkey joining the European Union and wants to take powers back from the EU. He is not advocating leaving the euro or the EU, but wants the balance of power to change. But there's little doubt it is his opinions of Islam that are eye-catching.

There's certainly genuine support for him among people who rush to have their picture taken with him. One woman tells me "he says what millions of us think". It is a refrain I hear repeatedly.

"I am not a racist at all. I am a democratic person, I have nothing against anybody, any race, only I fear Islamisation. I see Islam as more of an ideology than a religion. It wants to dominate every part of our society and wants us to submit, to dominate us. I've nothing against any people, any colour, any background, any sexual preference." (Read entire article)