(JTA) Putting a small-town Jewish baker on the ticket was supposed to change the public image of the Netherlands’ Party of Unity — but not like this.
Run by Islamic fundamentalists, the tiny party has had little impact at the ballot box since it launched in 2014. But propelled by the inflammatory comments of its leaders, it’s gained a reputation as anti-Semitic and jihadist.
Its current leader, Arnoud Van Doorn, wanted to prove that those perceptions were unfounded when he chose Jolisa Brouwer for the No. 3 slot on the party’s ticket in next month’s national elections.
“We’ve been accused of anti-Semitic views and Salafism,” Van Doorn, a former far-right politician who converted to Islam, told the AD newspaper last month. “This is how we’re showing that we really don’t seek to exclude anyone.”
