Dutch elections

Wilders’ one-man band heads for Dutch poll destiny

The far-right Dutch politician, who labels Moroccan immigrants “scum” and wants to close every mosque in the Netherlands, lives under 24-hour security. Trips outside, such as a recent tour of Spijkenisse near Rotterdam, are rare and unspontaneous. Hemmed in by armed guards, Mr Wilders’ distinctive grin and blond Mozart-esque hair-do was barely visible to a crowd revelling in a rare encounter with the anti-Islam campaigner, whose Party for Freedom (PVV) rides high in most polls for next week’s election. “If you want to regain your country, if you want to make the Netherlands for the people of the Netherlands your own home again, then you can only vote for one party,” Mr Wilders told the throng in English, recognising that his audience now goes well beyond Dutch voters.