From left, Frauke Petry, leader of Alternative for Germany, Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch PVV, and Marine Le Pen, leader of the French National Front | Sean Gallup/Getty Images Marine Le Pen: Europe ‘will wake up’ in 2017 Ahead of key European elections, nationalist leaders are keen to show unity despite deep policy differences.

Key elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands this year will usher in a new era of change, Marine Le Pen, leader of the French National Front party, said at a gathering of far-right European parties on Saturday, Agence France-Presse reported.

"2016 was the year the Anglo-Saxon world woke up. 2017, I am sure, the people of continental Europe will wake up," she told a cheering crowd at a European summit of right-wing populist parties in Koblenz, Germany. Le Pen who has set her sights on the French presidency in upcoming elections, added that voters in Europe would reject the status quo emboldened by last year's Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump.

The conference in Koblenz is described by organizers as a "European counter-summit" and brings together Frauke Petry of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Geert Wilders of the Dutch anti-Islam Freedom Party, Harald Vilimsky of the Freedom Party of Austria and Matteo Salvini of Italy's anti-EU Northern League.

Given wide divisions between the parties on policy, the event is seen largely as a show of force.

"Yesterday a new America, today Koblenz and tomorrow a new Europe" -- Geert Wilders

The conference comes a day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the U.S. The new president struck a nationalist tone in his address and vowed to put "America first."

"Yesterday a new America, today Koblenz and tomorrow a new Europe," Wilders said in German to loud applause, according to AFP. 2017 will be the year of the "patriotic spring in Europe," he said. The Dutch MP currently tops polls ahead of March parliamentary elections.

Although the conference, which was organized by the European Parliament's Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF) group, took place in Germany, it was not supported by all of the German AfD.

Petry drew criticism from party colleagues for participating in the gathering because they thought appearing alongside Le Pen could damage the party's reputation months before general elections in Germany, German media reported ahead of the meeting.

Petry's husband, AfD official and MEP Marcus Pretzell, co-organized the meeting. During her speech, Petry accused the German government and EU institutions of "brainwashing" citizens, German news wire DPA reported.

Authorities in Koblenz are expecting a large protest by a coalition of left-wing groups, mainstream political parties and unions, AFP reported, and more than 1,000 police officers have been deployed to ensure the demonstration is peaceful. German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, a Social Democrat, is expected to join the protest and Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn is scheduled to address the crowd.

A number of journalists were barred from the conference, including POLITICO. “The freedom of the press includes not serving the rights of fake news,” Pretzell tweeted.