Justice Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz justified Friday's decision on the grounds of posing a threat to the public order. Icke, who is controversial due to his anti-Semitic statements, was scheduled to speak at a rally in Amsterdam on Sunday, organized by several far-right and populist organizations. "Freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate are great goods, but not without limits," the minister said. The demonstration organizers plan to appeal the authorities' decision. In the run-up to the demonstration there had been strong criticism, including from Jewish organizations. Several counter-demonstrations were announced. The city of Amsterdam had asked the immigration authorities to examine whether the man could be banned from entering the country. Icke is a former football player and BBC commentator. Among other things, he believes that the US government was behind the September 11, 2001 attacks and that a Jewish conspiracy is behind the Covid-19 pandemic. He also thinks that reptiles masquerade as humans and want world domination. The Schengen area includes most EU member states as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.