The point Wilders insists on overlooking is that it is precisely this blend of people and backgrounds that has made Amsterdam unique. Amsterdammers are proud of the city’s diversity. If you read the eponymously titled book by Geert Mak, you will see that the city’s history is one of tolerance and a pragmatic approach to difference, whether religious, racial or cultural. This pragmatism is a defining Dutch quality. Visitors see coffee shops and the red light district without understanding that the tolerance that created them is what has allowed the city to thrive and become what it is today.