(JTA) — A candidate in Holland’s municipal elections retracted a Twitter post comparing rightist lawmaker Geert Wilders to Hitler.
Wilders, who heads the pro-Israel Party for Freedom, at a campaign event last week called for The Hague to be “a city with fewer problems and, if possible, fewer Moroccans,” according to the Het Parool daily.
Fouad Sidali, a senior member of the Dutch Labor Party running for the Hague City Council, responded on Thursday by tweeting, “Hitler is among us. In the figure of Geert Wilders. Hitler also thought that there should be fewer Jews. We will never forget that.”
The next day, however, Sidali was quoted by Het Parool as saying the comparison was inappropriate and that he should not have made it, but added, “One needs to understand what emotions Wilders’ statement evokes.”
Wilders tweeted Friday, “Sidali … retracted his statement. Wise. Leaving for Morocco would be even wiser.”
The anti-Islam, anti-immigration politician told the ANP agency that he will sue politicians for defamation who make the Nazi comparison and that Sidali’s apology came after Wilders’ attorney threatened to sue.
Wilders’ party, known as PVV, reportedly is set to become the largest in The Hague.
Local elections in Holland are set for Wednesday.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
