The UN’s human rights chief has launched a scathing attack on Western populist politicians, branding them “demagogues and political fantasists”.

Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein singled out Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, saying he used bigotry as a political weapon.

He also said he and others, including US Republican Donald Trump and Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, used the same tactics as so-called Islamic State, reports the BBC.

Zeid Hussein was addressing a security conference in The Hague.

In an election manifesto published last month, Wilders said that if elected he would close all mosques and ban the Koran and Muslim immigrants.

His Freedom Party (PVV) is leading opinion polls in the Netherlands before the 2017 election.

BDST: 1200 HRS, SEP 06, 2016
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