Amsterdam: Europe and the Arabs
A message posted by Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders on the X website on August 4th depicts a picture of two half-faced women—a young blonde woman on the left, and an older woman wearing a headscarf on the right—with the caption, "Your choice on October 29," the date of the next election.
The Dutch racism website Discriminatie.nl subsequently received more than 12,500 reports about the post from various organizations, the highest number ever. According to media in the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium, organizations, including Muslim Rights Watch and the Islamophobia Reporting Center, liken the post to Nazi propaganda during World War II, which depicted groups of people as inhuman and dangerous. They describe it as a "recurring pattern" from Wilders, who was previously convicted in a similar case known as "less-less." In a comment on the X website, Wilders said, "Today, nine mosque associations, the Muslim Rights Watch, the Islamophobia Reporting Centre, the Federation of Islamic Organizations, the Muslim Youth Association, and a women's association filed a complaint against me. What madness! I have fought for freedom and truth all my life, and I will bow to no one." In another post by the leader of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV), he said, "I just had a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi (Benjamin Netanyahu) and told him that, despite the criticism of weak politicians and biased media outlets, there are millions and millions of people in Europe who support him and his courageous actions to liberate Israel and Gaza from Hamas terrorists. His struggle is our struggle, because we cherish life and freedom, while they cherish death and destruction."
The withdrawal of the Freedom Party led by Wilders from the government coalition over his demands regarding asylum and immigration plans led to the government's downfall and a return to the ballot box.
According to media reports, Wilders was born on September 6, 1963, and began his political career in the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, where he worked as a political assistant and held organizational roles within parliament.
In 1997, he was elected as a member of the municipality of Utrecht, then entered the House of Representatives the following year, before defecting in 2004 due to his opposition to Türkiye's accession to the European Union. European Union and founded his populist Party for Freedom.
Wilders is known for his anti-immigrant rhetoric, especially against Muslims. He believes that Islam is incompatible with Western values and has described the Quran as a "fascist book" that should be banned.

In 2008, he produced a controversial film, "Fitna," in which he attempted to link Quranic verses to acts of violence, sparking global outrage.
Although an atheist, he presents himself as a defender of "Europe's Judeo-Christian identity."

Wilders lived for a time in Israel and makes no secret of his admiration for the country, calling for the Dutch embassy to be moved to Jerusalem and stating that "the fall of Jerusalem to Muslims means the fall of the West."

Wilders faced several trials on charges of incitement to hatred, particularly after his statements against Muslims and Moroccans. Although acquitted in 2011, he exploited these cases to bolster his image as a "victim of political oppression," which gained him increasing support from a segment of the Dutch population resentful of pluralism and immigration.

He later expanded his alliances with right-wing movements. He is an extremist in Europe, and has collaborated with French National Front leader Marine Le Pen to form a nationalist bloc within the European Parliament. Wilders is the embodiment of the populist phenomenon in Europe, a politician who has built his influence on fear-mongering against the "other" and exploited cultural tensions to his advantage, relying on a narrative of "defending Western values" against what he considers an existential threat called Islam.