PVV leader Geert Wilders will be allowed to call a number of witnesses when his trial on discrimination charges starts next year, following protests by his legal team.

In October, Wilders complained that his requests for evidence to be heard from some 40 witnesses had been rejected.

Judges have now decided some of those potential witnesses may be included in the proceedings. A spokesman for The Hague’s district court declined to say which witnesses had been approved, citing legal grounds.

Wilders is being taken to court for discrimination and encouraging hatred after he led supporters in an anti-Moroccan chant at a post-election meeting in 2012.

The chanting, and other comments made several days earlier, led to two MPs, MEPs and a handful of local and provincial councillors breaking ties with the PVV. The public prosecution department also received over 6,400 complaints. A date for the court hearing has not yet been set.

In 2010, Wilders was found not guilty of inciting hatred and discrimination at an earlier trial. Legal experts say the new case against Wilders is stronger than the previous one.