Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders on the campaign trail ahead of the European elections in Amsterdam. Photograph: Robin Utrecht/EPA

IT was extraordinary timing by the Dutch government last Thursday when it revealed just one week from the European elections that the number of refugees arriving in the Netherlands has surged from about 1,000 a month in February and March to a current figure of 1,000 per week.

The result was an emergency debate in parliament on Friday, during which there was a brief moment of drama when Geert Wilderss right-wing Freedom Party attempted to table a motion of no confidence in junior minister for justice Fred Teeven, who had disclosed the figures on television.

Despite accusing the minister of incompetence, declaring an immigration disaster, and calling for a severing of links with the EU and abandonment of the Schengen Agreement, the Freedom Partys moment quickly passed. The motion attracted no support from the rest of the opposition.

Policy of isolation It was the perfect practical example of how the informal blanket ban by all the other political parties on co-operating with Mr Wilders a ban which has been in place since he led supporters in anti-Moroccan chanting last month can leave the Freedom Party looking ineffective and isolated.

Do you want more or fewer Moroccans in your city and in the Netherlands? Mr Wilders roared to the crowd at a rally after the local elections.

Minder, minder, minder (Fewer, fewer, fewer), they roared in reply.

Wilders leaned closer to the microphone and said: Then were going to organise it.

The country descended into uproar, with a surprising amount of the criticism coming from Wilderss own constituency.

The popular right-wing daily newspaper De Telegraf railed: Those who place themselves outside the constitution by consciously turning their political message into the sort of deeply menacing politics we saw off in the past will find themselves sidelined by society.

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Freedom Party given political cold shoulder over immigration tactics