Who is Geert Wilders? Dutch politician convicted of discrimination against Moroccans
WANNABE prime minister Geert Wilders has been found guilty of inciting discrimination after asking supporters if they wanted to see fewer Moroccans in the country.
The controversial anti-Islam politician actually saw a boost in the polls thanks to his trial, but openly supporting his group Party for Freedom is still seen as socially unacceptable.
We look at why the blonde bombshell looks set to become the next world leader to be elected on a wave of contempt for traditional political parties.
Who is Geert Wilders?
Dutch politician Geert Wilders is the founder of the Party for Freedom (PVV). He is the leader of the party in the Dutch House of Representatives.
He is best known for his anti-Islamic views, which include campaigning for the Quran to be banned after comparing it to Hitler's book Mein Kampf.
His comments have made him a controversial figure worldwide and he now has to travel everywhere with armed bodyguards.
The 53-year-old is from Venlo, in southeast Netherlands, and is married to Hungarian diplomat Krisztina Wilders.
He is also known as Captain Peroxide and Mozart because of his flamboyant blonde hair – described by Radio Netherlands as “the most famous bleach-blond since Marilyn Monroe”.
He also advocated Nexit - the Netherlands leaving the EU - and says former PM Margaret Thatcher is his greatest political role model.
What did Geert Wilders say?
The politician has been convicted of insulting a group and inciting discrimination after comments he made during a campaign meeting in The Hague.
But he was acquitted of inciting hate in relation to the incident in March 2014.
Wilders asked the audience whether they wanted "fewer or more Moroccans in your city and in the Netherlands".
The crowded replied "fewer" to which Wilders said: "We're going to take care of that".
At his trial, a number of Dutch-Moroccans said the comments made them feel like "third-rate citizens", but Wilders branded the guilty verdict "madness" in a tweet.
What will happen now and will Geert Wilders win the election?
No penalty was imposed by the court near Amsterdam, and his party is still leading in the polls ahead of the country's parliamentary elections in March.
His party is forecast to take 35 of the 150 seats available, making it bigger than the current ruling liberal party held by Prime Minister Mark Rutte by 10 seats.
The Freedom Party currently holds just 12 seats in parliament.
Why is Geert Wilders so popular?
The PVV was neck and neck with the Liberals but thanks to the publicity of Wilders' trial, its support has been steadily climbing.
But despite the party's success in the polls, it is still "socially not acceptable" to be a PVV voter, journalist Wierd Duk told the BBC.
He says the party is viewed as being extremely right wing, with many of their supporters keeping quiet in fear of losing friends and being stigmatised at work.
"It's entrepreneurs, teachers, Church leaders, people who feel the traditional parties on all sides of the spectrum simply aren't listening to their concerns," he said.
While he is famous for his anti-Islam views, Wilders also champions popular concerns around the influence of non-Dutch people on Dutch society, loss of culture and mainstream parties apparent inability to acknowledge these issues.
And he has taken a boost from Trump's victory in the American election, saying in November that "what happened in America can happen in Europe and the Netherlands as well".
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