Far-right rally banned in Brussels

By Hasan Esen

BRUSSELS (AA) - Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders and anti-immigrant Vlaams Belang leader Filip Dewinter of Belgium have been barred from holding a rally in Molenbeek, a predominantly Muslim neighborhood in Brussels.

Molenbeek Mayor Francoise Schepmans said in a statement Thursday that the visit, scheduled for Friday, had been banned over "security" concerns.

The two politicians described the neighborhood as the "Jihadi capital of Europe" and dubbed their planned visit an "Islam Safari".

Belgian Muslim communities had asked local authorities to take measures before the planned rally.

On Wednesday, Wilders also pushed for the establishment of ethnic qualifications in order to become a Dutch lawmaker.

"This is the Netherlands' parliament, you have to be Dutch here. I don’t want a Turk, a Moroccan, or a Swede in parliament. Don't I have a right to say that? This is my country," he said in parliament.

Wilders, leader of the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), also spoke out against the notion of a deputy or a government minister having dual citizenship, saying that they must be loyal to the country of their parliament, not to two countries.