Dutch anti-Islam campaigner Geert Wilders and French far-right politician Marine le Pen dropped plans for a joint launch for the EU election campaign, according to news magazine Vrij Nederland.

The magazine bases its claim on ‘dozens’ of sources both in the Netherlands and abroad. The claim forms part of an investigation into Wilders’ plan to set up a pan-European anti-EU, right-wing alliance.

The decision to drop the joint launch was taken after a number of issues arose surrounding potential alliance candidates. For example, Andreas Molzer of the Austrian FPO was forced to quit after describing the EU as a ‘negro conglomerate’ and comparing it to the Third Reich.

Vrij Nederland says the anti-Moroccan chanting led by Wilders after the local elections in March also played a role in the decision. ‘This is not because the European partners disagreed but because of the rumpus it caused,’ the magazine says.

Wilders and Le Pen hope to form an anti-EU block in the European parliament after the May 22-25 vote. It will involve the FPO, Vlaams Belang and Italy’s Lega Nord as well as the Swedish Democrats and Slovakia’s SNS.

Moroccan culture

Meanwhile, Marcel de Graaff, who is leading the PVV’s European campaign, said in an interview on Tuesday night that ‘the Moroccan culture is an inferior culture’.

Moroccans have no respect for other cultures, De Graaff said, adding that he stood firmly behind Wilders’ ‘fewer, fewer, fewer’ anti-Moroccan chant. ‘We have seen what Wilders means,’ De Graaff said. ‘People who do not respect our values have no place here.’

Opinion polls indicate the PVV will win four of the 26 Dutch seats in the European elections. This is the same as five years ago.