Dutch election: Geert Wilders back in Street campaigning

After canceling several public appearances due to security concerns, Dutch front-runner and leader of the Party for Freedom, Geert Wilders said that he will be back in the streets campaigning this weekend, in response to sliding poll numbers. He had previously suspended his campaigning after it came out that there have been security leaks from his own security teams. While Mr. Wilders is expected to win the highest number of seats in the upcoming election, to be held on March 15th, his anti-Islamic stance makes him vulnerable to assassinations by those who oppose him and see him as a threat similar to Hitler.

The move came after a Peilingwijzer poll showed that his party slipped to the second position for the first time since last November with 15.7 percent support. Current Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s conservatives topped the poll with 16.3 percent support. In a statement, Mr. Wilders said that “voters want to see us” and promised an appearance at the Telegraaf newspaper in Amsterdam.

Previously Pim Fortyun, a front-runner in the 2002 election was assassinated for his anti-Islamic stance.