Almere council has demanded mayor Annemarie Jorritsma do all she can to prevent controversial imams from making speeches in the city.

The motion was put forward by the anti-Islam PVV following news that a so-called ‘hate preacher’ is due to attend a three-day conference in Almere which starts on Friday.

The visit by Esam Alowed and other jihad supporters is a threat ‘to the unity of Almere society’, and it is ‘unacceptable’ that mosques invite such people, the motion states.

Esma Alowed was given a visa to visit the Netherlands in Germany, news agency ANP says.

There has been a string of protests about visits by controversial imams to the Netherlands in recent months.

In March, the visas for three imams invited to speak at a charity fund-raising event in Rijswijk were cancelled because of ‘public order concerns’. Several imams accused of preaching hatred and encouraging jihad had been invited to attend the event.