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(10 Mar 2017) AS THEY EMERGE FROM THEIR WINTER DIP IN THE BITTERLY COLD NORTH SEA WATERS FRED SPAANS AND HIS DAUGHTER ARE DIVIDED OVER THE FUTURE OF THEIR COUNTRY.
(Denice sound pop)
"Is it because of the Islam?
SOUNDBITE (English) Fred Spaans, 62, Party For freedom supporter:
"It's not that I hate Muslims, or I hate people, I am not a racist, I always said: I hate Islam. Islam is for me, a danger."
SOUNDBITE (English) Denice Spaans, 30, works with refugees:
" I cannot change his mind, but I've met so many Muslim people with Their stories and it really touched me and I really feel they are just like us.."
THE NETHERLANDS HAS LONG BEEN ONE OF EUROPE'S MOST TOLERANT NATIONS. THE DUTCH WERE THE FIRST TO LEGALIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN 2001.
BUT THE INFLUX OF MUSLIMS HAS MANY WORRIED THAT THE CHARACTER OF THEIR COUNTRY WILL CHANGE. THIS FEAR HAS LED TO THE RISE OF RIGHT WING POPULIST POLITICIAN, GEERT WILDERS.
SOUNDBITE (English) Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch far-right Party for Freedom PVV:
"Not all scum but there is a lot Moroccan scum in Holland who makes the streets unsafe, mostly young people."
WILDERS PLEDGES TO "DE-ISLAMIZE" THE NETHERLANDS, BAN IMMIGRATION FROM MUSLIM COUNTRIES AND CLOSE THE COUNTRY'S 475 MOSQUES.
SOUNDBITE (English) Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch far-right Party for Freedom PVV:
"Not all scum but there is a lot Moroccan scum in Holland that makes the streets unsafe, mostly young people."
FEAR CUTS BOTH WAYS. ESPECIALLY FOR THE DUTCH-BORN CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
SOUNDBITE (English) Karim Zizaoui, 37, Schilderswijk resident selling coffee at "The Hague Market":
"I am living here all my life, and I don't know if I must go back, it's a big issue, big problem, I got nothing in Morocco."
WILDERS IS EXPECTED TO DO WELL IN THE NATION'S ELECTION ON MARCH 15.
SUPPORT IS STRONG IN PLACES LIKE SCHVENINGEN, EVEN THOUGH WILDERS WANTS TO PULL THE NETHERLANDS OUT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION.
FISHING INDUSTRY PAYCHECKS WOULD SHRINK IF ACCESS TO EUROPEAN WATERS IS LIMITED.
BUT, ANXIETIES ABOUT ISLAM APPEAR MORE IMPORTANT TO THEM.
SOUNDBITE (Dutch) Jan van der Karst, 64, worker in local fish industry, PVV supporter:
"I'm not a racist, not at all. I hope everybody does well. There's a lot of bad people among them and it's frightening what is happening in the world and Europe with I-S. That's what we're afraid of. And I think Wilders sees that right."
SOUNDBITE (English) Sylvana Simons, former TV host, now candidate for "Article 1" party:
"Since we haven't had moral leadership to counter what Geert Wilders is doing, I think that is a very big reason why this hatefulness is just so widespread at the moment."
DENICE SPAANS KNOWS HER FATHER WON'T CHANGE HIS VIEWS - BUT SHE HOPES FOR TOLERANCE.
SOUNDBITE (English) Denice Spaans, 30, works with refugees:
"I think it only helps to meet with Muslim people and talk with them, I think it's the only option to change people's minds."
END
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