Hemmed in by a jostling crowd of chanting supporters, detractors and security guards with sniffer dogs, the Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders launched his campaign to lead Holland on Saturday by denouncing “Moroccan scum” whom he claimed “make the streets unsafe”.

On the first day of canvassing ahead of elections in mid-March, the current frontrunner toured a market square in the small town of Spijkenisse, rallying voters with a call to “make the Netherlands ours again”.

Before posing for selfies and accepting bouquets from a small band of hardcore supporters, Mr Wilders spoke out against the “Islamisation” of Holland and urged his countrymen to “regain your country”.

“Not all are scum, but there is a lot of Moroccan scum in Holland who make the streets unsafe, mostly young people,” he told camera crews from across the continent.