French extreme right leader Marine Le Pen supports a joint campaign for next year’s European Parliament elections with Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-Islamic and anti-immigration Party for Freedom (PVV) in Holland.
In an interview with a Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, Le Pen declared : "We could perhaps campaign together for the elections. It's important that the voter sees that we do not stand alone, that similar patriotic movements are active in every EU country."
Le Pen said earlier this year that she wants to begin a pan-European far-right parliamentary grouping, including her National Front (FN) party, after the May 2014 European elections.
She was first elected to the European Parliament in 2004 and won 18 percent of the vote in the first round of France's presidential election in April 2012, the party's highest-ever score.
Le Pen and Wilders differ in their approach to Islam. ‘I am against the visibility of Islam in society. We have a tradition of a strict division between church and state so I think religious symbolism has no place in the street. But I have nothing against Islam itself’.’’ ‘’I don't think that Islam is by definition incompatible with democracy,’’ she added.
Wilders regards Islam as a backward religion and has likened the Koran to Hitler's Mein Kampf.
Wilders had lunch with Le Pen earlier this year to discuss his plans for a common approach to the European elections. But Wilders reportedly wanted to keep his distance because of the anti-Semitism of Le Pen's father and the founder of the FN, Jean-Marie Le Pen.
The Dutch leader said he had contacts with the Eurosceptic Sweden Democrats and will also meet officials from the Lega Nord in Italy. ‘’These are parties which share a lot of similar attitudes to Europe as our party and now is a good time to work together,’’ he said.