Who is Geert Wilders? Dutch anti-Islam politician and leader of Party of Freedom defeated in election – The Sun

Flamboyant anti-establishment politician who labelled Moroccans 'scum' missed out on becoming the Prime Minister of Holland

DUTCH anti-establishment politician Geert Wilders started his Party for Freedom by declaring independence from the elite in Hague and is renowned for his divisive anti-Islam rhetoric

Wilders who has branded Moroccans scum was defeated in the elections but hasremained defiant by pledging to win his countrys next general election.

Reuters

Geert Wilders is the leader and founder of right-wing Dutch political party Party for Freedom.

The 53-year-old is from Venlo, in the southeast Netherlands and is married to Hungarian diplomat Krisztina Wilders.

He is Parliamentary Leader of his party in the House of Representatives andhas been named Politician of the Year several times by radio station NOS-radio.

Wilders is known as Captain Peroxide and Mozart because of his flamboyant blonde hair described by Radio Netherlands asthe most famous bleach-blond since Marilyn Monroe.

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Wilders considers himself to be a right-wing liberal whose greatest political role model is former PM Margaret Thatcher.

He doesn't like the Dutch political system and thinks that there is a ruling elite of politicians who care about themselves and not their constituents.

He also advocates "Nexit" - the Netherlands (Holland) leaving the EU.

Wildersis very passionate about Israel, living there for two years when he was younger and visiting the country over 40 times.

He says that when he returned to Hollandhe had a "special feeling of solidarity" for the country.

AP:Associated Press

The Dutch political party Partij Voor de Vrijheid (PVV), which translates as the Party for Freedom, are right wing and are the third-largest party in parliament with 24 seats.

The party are Euro-sceptic and have advocated for leaving the EU, with Wilderscalling for "Nexit".

Their policies include withdrawing from the EU, going back to the guilder (old Dutch currency) instead of the euro, repealing anti-smoking laws in bars and limiting Cannabis shops by ensuring they are more than 1km away from schools.

AP:Associated Press

Senior Republican congressman Steve King sparked a social media backlash when he tweeted: "Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny.

"We can't restore our civilisation with someone else's babies".

King, the Republican representative of Iowa, is a strong advocate of stopping birthright citizenship.

All children born in the US get citizenship under the country's constitution.

His post about Wilders was retweeted by the former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke with the words: "Sanity reigns supreme".

Many were quick to denounce King, including former Democratic presidential wannabe Hillary Clinton's daughter Chelsea.

She tweeted: "Clearly the Congressman does not view all our children as, well, all our children.

"Particularly painful on Purim."

In March last year Wilders went on trial for "discrimination and hatred" against Moroccans living in Holland.

He had promised to reduce the number of Moroccans living in the country.

Wilders was convicted on December 9 2016 but no penalty was imposed.

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Far-right politician Geert Wilders was defeated in the Dutch elections on March 15.

Dutch centre-right Prime Minister Mark Rutte scored a resounding victoryoffering huge relief to other governments across Europe facing a wave of nationalism.

Rutte declared it an "evening in which the Netherlands, after Brexit, after the American elections, said 'stop' to the wrong kind of populism."

In response Mr Wilders called his comments very worrying, as if populists are semi-Nazis.

He added: Rutte has not seen the back of me.

He remained defiant by pledging to win his countrys next general election in the face of claims his party are Nazis.

Wilders, the leader and founder of the Party for Freedom, tweeted: We were the 3rd largest party of the Netherlands. Now we are the 2nd largest party. Next time we will be number 1!

The firebrandalso claims his party have defied the exit polls and experts towin 20 seats, as opposed to the predicted 19.

Up to 13 million people in the Netherlands voted in theelection which was seen as a face-off between Wildersand Rutte.

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Who is Geert Wilders? Dutch anti-Islam politician and leader of Party of Freedom defeated in election - The Sun