US representative blasted for praising anti-Muslim Dutch politician

A US Congressman has come under fire for praising a far-right Dutch politician, who is known for promoting anti-Islamic sentiment.

Republican Representative Steve King applauded Dutch politician Geert Wilders in a tweet on Sunday, hailing his stance against immigration.

“Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny,” the Iowa representative wrote of the Dutch, who last month called Moroccan people “scum.”

“We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies,” King wrote, expressing his apparent support for the rejection of immigrant children in the US and across Europe.

Featured in King’s tweet was another tweet by Voice of Europe media organization, which displayed a cartoon showing Wilders plugging a hole in a wall labeled “Western Civilization,” with bearded protesters nearby holding signs that say, “Infidels, Know Your Limits” and “Freedom of Speech Go To Hell.”

The tweet was applauded by David Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, who quickly tweeted: “God bless Steve King” in all capital letters.

King’s tweet drew fire from both sides of the aisle.

"Is it worth making the obvious point that what American history has been about is 'restoring' ourselves with 'somebody else's babies?'" tweeted conservative columnist Bill Kristol.

Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, a Democrat, also blasted the congressman, saying that King is “a total ignoramus and no one takes him seriously.”

Republican Representative Carlos Curbelo from Florida's 26th District reacted to the statement by introducing himself as a “concerned GOP colleague.”

“What exactly do you mean? Do I qualify as 'somebody else's baby?'” he asked in his tweet.

King, a fierce supporter of President Donald Trump, serves in a Republican-dominated district of Iowa, where both he and Trump represent over 60 percent of the voters.

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This is not the first time King has aligned himself with the European far right. He posted a similar tweet last month, as he met with the French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen.

“Cultural suicide by demographic transformation must end,” he wrote in a September tweet that featured a photo of himself with Wilders.

Wilders has pledged to de-Islamize the Netherlands after his Freedom Party forms the next government. He has also vowed to close mosques and ban the Holy Qur’an from bookstores.

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