Social affairs minister Lodewijk Asscher and MP and anti-Islam campaigner Geert Wilders both paid visits to a district in The Hague dubbed the ‘Sharia triangle’ on Tuesday.

Asscher made a fact-finding visit to part of the city’s Schilderswijk neighbourhood early on Tuesday morning. It was an ‘individual visit, aimed at having a look around part of town which is being written about’, a spokesman for the minister said.

On Saturday, newspaper Trouw published an article saying the area is so dominated by orthodox Muslims they are dictating what people should wear and how they should behave.

The claim was denied by local politicians and the police. Local police chief Michel de Roos told broadcaster Omroep West claims by Trouw that the police allow locals to solve their own problems is not true. The police presence in the area has been strengthened and local beat officers have a strong local network, he said.

Geert Wilders spent 15 minutes walking through the area and did not speak to any locals, RTL news reported. ‘This is a part of the Netherlands where our norms and standards apply,’ Wilders told reporters during his stroll.

Update December 2014: Please note: Trouw newspaper has since sacked the journalist responsible for the original Sharia Triangle story for making it up and faking sources.

Earlier stories
Police, politicians deny part of The Hague is a Sharia triangle