Wilders accuses D66 leader of siding with terrorists in Twitter spat

If the PVV wins the parliamentary elections in March and Geert Wilders becomes prime minister, Amsterdam should become a republic, D66 alderman Simone Kukenheim said on Saturday. Wilders responded to this call on Twitter with a Photoshopped image showing D66 leader Alexander Pechtold protesting with what Wilders calls "Hamas-terrorists".

Speaking at the New Year reception of slavery institute NiNSee on Saturday, Amsterdam alderman Kukenheim said that if Wilders becomes prime minister, the establishment of the republic of Amsterdam is not far away, Het Parool reports. The D66 politician made a plea for an activist establishment of the city against racism and intolerance.

Kukenheim referred to the PVV coming out on top of all the current political polls. "Rebellion fits our city like a glove", she said, according to the newspaper. "That means that as a diverse and tolerant city, we should not hesitate to go against the national trend." She added that she is proud of Amsterdam residents' daily fight against racism. "Amsterdammers must not be turned and played against each other. We must make this clear. If we don't, we become part of the same climate."

Wilders responded by posting a photo of Pechtold on Twitter. It shows Pechtold standing front and center in a protest, holding a sign that reads "Islam will dominate the world- freedom can go to hell". In the background other protesters are holding similar signs. With the photo Wilders tweeted: "D66 wants Amsterdam to split off if the election results are disappointing. Pechtold demonstrates with Hamas terrorists. Is this the next step?"

According to Metro Nieuws, the photo is obviously tampered with - Pechtold was nowhere near the demonstration where the photo was taken. The photo was taken at a protest against Wilders in the United Kingdom in 2009. Wilders was planning a visit to the country for a screening of his film Fitna. He was initially denied entry to the country because the British Foreign Office was worried that his visit would result in turmoil and pose a "fundamental threat" to society. The court later overturned this decision, resulting in the protest where the photo was taken. According to the newspaper, it was a small protest consisting of about 20 Muslims holding posters with extremist slogans in the air.

Earlier this week PVV MP Martin Bosma also tweeted a photo of Pechtold. This one showed him at a protest against American president Donald Trump's decree banning the people of seven Muslim countries from the United States on the Malieveld in The Hague - a protest Pechtold actually attended. A Palestinian flag can be seen in the background of the photo. According to Bosma, the flag means that "Israel must be destroyed". According to Metro, the flag is actually based on the flag of Arab rebellion against the Ottoman empire in the First World War.