A Dutch demagogue stirs up his followers in a campaign against immigrants. Appealing to the public's fears and nativist passions, he declares the culture of the immigrants antithetical to Dutch values and denounces their religion, which "scandalizes Christians," as a kind of infectious disease.
In speeches and essays, he claims that the faith of these immigrants, while perhaps sincerely held, "does not have God as its source." If they cannot be converted, they should be expelled from the country and sent back to the lands from which they came.
Sound familiar? It certainly recalls Geert Wilders, whose Party for Freedom (PVV) set the tone in the Netherlands' just completed election, which was won by other parties that appropriated parts of his xenophobic message.
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