wilder

who loved and knew the Wilders personally, will take you around and tell you details that may not be in the Little House books.

Support for the biggest far-right party today, Geert Wilders's Freedom Party, has shot up in recent months.

Several prominent Labour politicians have issued a call to all parties not to allow Mr Wilders to influence the next government.

And yet the town, and its province of Limburg, are Mr Wilders's heartland.

The prosecutors told the court in Amsterdam that Mr Wilders had criticised Islam as an ideology and not Muslims as a group.

But Mr Wilders, who faces trial in his own country for inciting hatred, has been denied entry by the Home Office.

And so the Danes have been copied by Mr Wilders, pictured above, who supports a Dutch minority government but is not part of it.

In some ways Mr Wilders has already exerted his influence over the next government, as other parties have started to adopt his ideas.

"Islam belongs to Germany as well, " he proclaimed, in implied rebuke to Messrs Sarrazin and Wilders.

The Dutch government has reportedly distanced itself from Wilders views and tried unsuccessfully to convince him not to broadcast the film.

A new right-wing party recently attracted hundreds to a speech by the far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders.

But Mr Wilders, better known for his anxieties about Islam than his concerns about Greek solvency, saw his popularity rocket.

The Dutch ambassador was also at Heathrow to make clear his government's opposition to the ban on Mr Wilders entering the UK.

Mr Wilders was invited to the House of Lords for a screening of Fitna by the UK Independence Party's Lord Pearson.

The coalition needs guaranteed support for its range of economic reforms and so is likely to come to a deal with Mr Wilders.

But the only party willing, in principle, to back this approach was Mr Wilders's.

Singing "God is great" demonstrators held banners reading "Kill Geert Wilders" and "Wilders is a Christian terrorist. "

The anti-Muslim vitriol of Mr Wilders is now supplemented by anti-euro invective.

With the economic crisis blowing in his sails, Mr Wilders may soon wield the influence they sought.

But far from the provocative joker of previous years, Mr Wilders has become an important force in Dutch politics.

Stranger still, Maastricht has little of the multicultural make-up that Mr Wilders rails against.

The liberal-led minority coalition of Mark Rutte, the prime minister, is propped up by Geert Wilders's anti-immigrant Freedom Party.

But Mr Rutte may be open to inviting Mr Wilders to join a three-way government of the right.

Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-immigrant Freedom Party, is on trial for incitement to hatred and discrimination against Muslims.

To cheers, Mr Wilders declared that Germans, too, needed to defend their identity against Islamisation.

"I have nothing against Muslims but I believe that Islam is a totalitarian ideology and it goes against our freedom, " Wilders said.

In polls, 60% of people said they wanted to see Mr Wilders acquitted.

Mr Wilders should not be underestimated.

But Mr Wilders's ambitions go beyond offending minority groups and political opponents.

After being questioned at Heathrow, the MP said he had been to the House of Lords two weeks ago and there had been "no problem" .

A court in the Netherlands cleared Geert Wilders on all charges of inciting hatred against Muslims.

Many believe that Mr Wilders will call the shots even if his party is excluded from the cabinet.

Yet Americans (and Europeans) should be wary of embracing Mr Wilders.

Mr Wilders is best known for his virulent anti-Islamic rhetoric.

Judges called some of Wilders' comments crude and denigrating - but not illegal.

Expect a newly emboldened Mr Wilders to start expanding his range of concerns.

Result: a curtailment of free speech that gives Wilders more free publicity than he could otherwise have dreamed of.

The Washington Times this week called for Mr Wilders's acquittal.

Wilders : It's a very sad day for freedom of speech in the UK .

Was it Geert Wilders, the Dutch anti-Islamic populist?

Mr Wilders' film Fitna caused outrage across the Muslim world when it was posted on the internet last year.

Mr Wilders, who last year released a film, "Fitna" , which attacked the Koran, said it was a black day for freedom of speech.

So roll the dice and make Mr Wilders foreign minister: for how long could he keep telling the world to ban the Koran?