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Roundup: Holland debates far-right politician's tactics in elections campaign

Xinhua, February 8, 2017 Adjust font size:

The debates in the campaign for the forthcoming Dutch general elections are currently mainly about Geert Wilders circulating photoshopped pictures in recent days.

Last Monday, the right-wing Party of Freedom (PVV) leader posted a tweet with a picture in which his D66 (Democrats) colleague Alexander Pechtold was photoshopped into an anti-Wilders demonstration in 2009 in London.

The photoshopped picture, circulating on the internet since 2009, shows Muslim protesters called for the introduction of the Islamic law Shariah in the Netherlands.

"Pechtold demonstrates with Hamas terrorists. Is this the next step?" Wilders wrote.

The tweet was the anti-Islam PVV leader's reaction to the presence of Pechtold, like other politicians, at a demonstration in the Hague in early February against the travel ban proclaimed by U.S. President Donald Trump for citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries. Amin Abu Rashid, a prominent Palestinian-Dutch Hamas supporter, was also among the protesters.

"Often I can laugh at people who are creative with images on the internet," Pechtold responded through Facebook. "But not this time, because it can give people false ideas, which also became clear in my Twitter timeline. Wilders incites his supporters by doing this."

Pechtold decided not to file charges against Wilders. "You have political decency or you don't," he said on Tuesday, "You cannot force decency in the courtroom."

The D66 leader received support from Prime Minister Mark Rutte who called the tweet "totally tasteless." He also said he found Wilders' behavior "totally abnormal."

Late January, Rutte called for more decency in an open letter in several national newspapers, addressing "people who don't want to adapt, attacking our habits and rejecting our values and people who attack gay people, who shout at women in short skirts, or call ordinary Dutch people racist."

"If you so fundamentally reject our land, I prefer that you leave. As it happens I have that feeling too. Act normal or go away," he wrote.

The call by Rutte was a clear move as VVD (Liberals) leader during campaign season. The PVV is leading the latest polls for the Dutch general elections to be held on March 15, with a large margin over VVD.

Wilders posted another tweet with the D66 leader photoshopped as a woman, also derived from the internet. Asked whether he would stop Tweeting like this as a future prime minister, he said: "No, you better get used to it." Enditem