Geert Wilders
Dutch politician; leader of the PVV
Wilders casts himself as a free-speech critic of Islam-as-ideology, but his call to ban the Qur’an, his comparison of it to Mein Kampf, and his “fewer Moroccans” chant (for which a court convicted him) push his case toward the consensus-Islamophobic end of the spectrum.
Fitna & the call to ban the Qur’an
2008Genuinely contestedWhat happened
Wilders released Fitna, a ~17-minute film intercutting Qur’anic verses with terrorist-attack footage, and has repeatedly called the Qur’an a “fascist” book comparable to Mein Kampf, urging it be banned in the Netherlands.
“The Koran is above all a book of war — a call to butcher non-Muslims…”
Under each definition
The Qur’an/ideology critique alone is contested as anti-Muslim racism.
Calling to ban the Qur’an hits “Muslimness/perceived Muslimness.”
Equating the Qur’an with Mein Kampf and seeking its ban is denigration of Islam.
Criticising the Qur’an as ideas is protected — but a state ban on a book is not; even secular liberals part ways with Wilders here.
Who called it Islamophobic
The Dutch PM at the time said the film wrongly equated Islam with violence; Muslim states protested.
The defense
Wilders framed it as criticism of an ideology, saying his party “has nothing against” law-abiding Muslims — only against the Qur’an/Islam.
Outcome
No broadcaster would air Fitna; Wilders posted it online and lives under permanent police protection. In a separate 2011 trial he was acquitted of inciting hatred over his anti-Islam statements.
In their words
It’s not the aim of the movie but people might be offended, I know that. So, what the hell? It’s their problem, not my problem.
“Fewer Moroccans” & the conviction
2014–2021Broad consensusWhat happened
At a post-election rally, Wilders asked supporters whether they wanted “more or fewer Moroccans” in the Netherlands; when they chanted “Fewer!” he replied, “Well, then we’re going to take care of that.” Some 6,000 complaints were filed.
“More or fewer Moroccans?” — “Fewer! Fewer!” — “Well, then we’re going to take care of that.”
Under each definition
The “fewer Moroccans” chant targets people by descent and reads as racism (a Dutch court agreed).
Targets a group racialized as Muslim.
Anti-Muslim/anti-migrant hostility toward a group is Islamophobic on the broadest test.
Disparaging a group by descent is hatred of people, not criticism of ideas — even secular liberals part ways with Wilders here.
Who called it Islamophobic
Prosecutors charged group insult and incitement; the Dutch Supreme Court ultimately upheld the group-insult conviction.
The defense
Wilders called it a political “witch hunt” and an attack on free speech, arguing he spoke about a nationality, not a race.
Outcome
Convicted of group insult (2016), acquitted of inciting hatred, given no penalty; the Dutch Supreme Court upheld the conviction in 2021.
In their words
Even a politician must abide by the basic principles of the rule of law and must not incite intolerance… With that statement he offended an entire group of people… because of their descent.
The verdicts above are how each framework would most likely treat this case — illustrative guidance, not official rulings. The frameworks diverge most on speech and ideas: the OIC “defamation of religion” lens and the secular/free-speech position often reach opposite conclusions on the same act. See the Definition tab for each framework’s full text. Inclusion is documentation, not a finding.