Den drapstruede nederlandske politikeren Geert Wilders må avlyse valgmøter fordi han ikke har råd til å screene alle tilhørerne gjennom metalldetektorer. Han har bedt regjeringen om støtte. Kandidatenes eget ansvar, er svaret.

Wilders has received numerous death threats in recent years over his criticism of Islam. He had to go into hiding for several weeks after the murder of film director Theo Van Gogh in November 2004. Wilders is accompanied everywhere by bodyguards.

He left the Liberal Party (VVD) in 2004 over his opposition to Turkey joining the EU and he recently founded the Party for Freedom (PvdV) to contest the general election in November.

Newspaper ‘De Volkskrant’ reported on Wednesday that the MP had to cancel a gathering in the town of Holten on Tuesday evening as his bodyguards felt it was not be safe to proceed. A meeting in Friesland scheduled for Wednesday evening has also been cancelled.

His guards feel his safety can only be guaranteed if everyone attending the party’s rallies has to pass through an electronic security gate. Such metal detectors, plus operators, cost at least EUR 1,000 a night. «We don’t have that. We are a small party,» Wilders told the newspaper. «This means the end of my campaign».

He asked the Justice Ministry, which is responsible for his day to day security, to help.

«But it doesn’t want to,» the MP said. This was confirmed by the ministry. «All organisations are responsible for their own internal security arrangements,» a spokesperson said.

Wilders settter nå sin lit til justisministeren.

Geert Wilders lacks money for campaign security