Authorities in the Netherlands announced Friday that former British footballer and conspiracy theorist David Icke has been banned from entering the country on the grounds that a rally planned for Sunday in the capital, Amsterdam, could pose a threat to Dutch public order.
Icke is known for advocating the reptilian theory, a conspiracy theory that the planet is ruled by shape-shifting reptiles, although it is believed that these postulates could be anti-Semitic in nature.
The Dutch government has taken this decision due to the «concern» raised by Icke’s forthcoming lecture and after a series of consultations with the police and anti-terrorist units, reports the RTL Nieuws television channel.
Icke’s rally in Amsterdam was to be held as part of a demonstration organized by the Samen voor Nederland, an anti-government group that has called for a rally to protest «European dictatorship».
This call has the support of several ideologues and conspiracy theorists, far-right politicians and coronavirus denialist groups, according to the Dutch News portal.
The Dutch authorities have rarely banned entry to the country, although in 2017 they decreed this measure against the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, for fear that his presence would cause tensions in the Turkish community in the Netherlands.
