Spijkenisse, Netherlands: Firebrand Dutch anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders launched his election campaign Saturday with a stinging attack on the country鈥檚 Moroccan population, calling some 鈥渟cum鈥� and saying he wanted to make The Netherlands 鈥渙urs again.鈥�
Wilders has been leading opinion polls ahead of crunch elections on March 15, seen as a litmus test of European politics after Brexit and Donald Trump鈥檚 victory in the United States.
鈥淭he Moroccan scum in Holland ... once again not all are scum... but there is a lot of Moroccan scum in Holland who make the streets unsafe, mostly young people... and that should change,鈥� Wilders told a scrum of journalists in English, before attempting to take a stroll at a market.
鈥淚f you want to regain your country, if you want to make The Netherlands for the people of The Netherlands, your own home again, then you can only vote鈥� for his Freedom Party, Wilders said in the blue-collar town of Spijkenisse, not far from Europe鈥檚 largest port of Rotterdam.
鈥淧lease, make The Netherlands ours again,鈥� said the far-right politician, as a small group of supporters chanted 鈥淲ilders! Wilders!鈥� in the background.
Asked who his voters were, Wilders said 鈥渆very Dutchman with common sense... and fortunately we have a lot of people with common sense.鈥�
鈥淒utch people who want their country back will vote for us irrespective of their education or background,鈥� he added.
The MP, who has vowed to ban the Qur'an and close mosques should he win power, was convicted of discrimination in December over previous comments he made about Moroccans living in The Netherlands.
But his words asking party faithful in 2014 if they wanted 鈥渇ewer Moroccans鈥� in The Netherlands have found some traction among traditional supporters worried about immigration and jihadist attacks across Europe in recent years.
The latest combined opinion polls give Wilders and his PVV party between 24-28 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, two to four seats ahead of Liberal Prime Minister Mark Rutte鈥檚 ruling VVD party.
Support for Wilders 鈥� who posed for selfies and shook hands with citizens on the town鈥檚 medieval square 鈥� varied widely and after he left several angry arguments between backers and opponents broke out.
鈥淲e are all voting for Wilders this year,鈥� said one supporter Danny, 59, who declined to give his surname 鈥渂ecause that鈥檚 dangerous in this country these days.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not safe in the streets anymore especially in the big cities,鈥� he told AFP stroking his beard, as he watched Wilders walk around alongside heavy police protection.
Wilders鈥檚 views have seen him receive death threats including from the Daesh group and Al-Qaeda. He is guarded at all times and has been called the 鈥渂est protected man in The Netherlands.鈥�
Pieter Kamerling, 40, a PVV organizer in the area, said: 鈥淲e are going to free this country. Brussels has the key to our home and we鈥檙e going to take it back. Geert will ensure that we do that.鈥�


Martin Bosma, regarded as Wilders鈥檚 right-hand man and fellow PVV parliamentarian told AFP his party will look for coalition partners should they win the elections.
But he admitted 鈥渋t will be difficult,鈥� as most major Dutch political parties 鈥� including Rutte鈥檚 VVD 鈥� refuse to work with the PVV after Wilders鈥檚 Moroccan comments and his conviction.
鈥淕eert Wilders is polarizing people,鈥� said Theo de Boer, 50, as he walked away from the market clutching a bunch of flowers.
鈥淗e discriminates and I totally disagree with him. We have a constitution and freedom of religion is one of its most important pillars,鈥� De Boer said.
Some locals were conflicted about Wilders.
鈥淕eert dares to say what a whole bunch of Dutch people think and that鈥檚 a good thing,鈥� fishmonger Marianne Sleurink, 60, told AFP.
鈥淏ut he causes a whole lot of hatred and has no real solution,鈥� she said as she dropped a batch of battered cod into a fryer.
鈥淐hances of him ruling are slim, because nobody really wants to,鈥� Sleurink added.

-- Agence France Presse