Last week a poll in free newspaper De Pers showed that 47% of Dutch voters would not accept a Jewish prime minister. It was a shocking revelation made even more shocking by the fact that De Pers and all the other media that picked up the story hardly thought the fact worth mentioning.

They decided that it was far more interesting to report our willingness to accept a woman or a gay PM. But a Jew or, even less popular, a Muslim, forget it. Who cares?
Tomorrow, the European Union’s racisim watchdog is due to publish its latest report on the Netherlands and, according to an AFP article quoted in Pakistan’s Daily Times, anti-semitism is on the rise here.
It is hard to understand this in a country which saw its Jewish population decimated in World War II and is still living with the collective guilt.
The rise in anti-Jewish feeling cannot just be explained away by political anti-Israel sentiment or the crass ignorance of disaffected immigrant youths. The figure of 47% is far too high for that.
‘Filthy Jew’ has become a playground insult. Sidelines has even heard of nice middle-class people taking their children out of certain schools because there are ‘too many of those sort of people’ – not low-skilled immigrants but Jews.
Before you know it, certain political elements will be campaigning against orthodox Jewish women wearing wigs. Afterall, hide your hair with a wig or a headscarf… not much difference really.