Nearly 500,000 watch Belgian writer on Dutch talk show

A total of 484 thousand people watched controversial Belgian-Lebanese writer Dyab Abou Jahjah on the first episode of VPRO program Zomergasten on Sunday night, BuzzE reports. 

A number of Jewish action groups protested against Abou Jahjah's appearance on the Dutch talk show. Jewish group Tradition is Our Future called it "dangerous" to give the "militant and antisemitic" man a podium to broadcast his "monstrous ideology".

Abou Jahjah drew fewer viewers for Zomegasten than last year's first episode. Last year Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb was the first guest on the show and 789 thousand people tuned in to watch him. This year's first episode ended 18th on Stichting KijkOnderzoek's daily viewers list.

The football match between Feyenoord and PSV came in first place with 1.7 million viewers, followed by the NOS news at 20:00.