Junior farm minister Henk Bleker on Thursday backtracked on stinging criticism he made of the anti-Islam PVV at a campaign meeting on Wednesday night.

At the meeting, the minister reportedly said he wanted nothing to do with the PVV, which has an alliance with the ruling minority CDA and VVD government.
Bleker, a CDA politican, said on Thursday he should have made it clear it is only some of the PVV’s standpoints which he objects to.
Headscarves

During Wednesday’s meeting, Bleker was quoted as saying the PVV’s call for a ban on Muslim headscarves make him feel sick and that party leader Geert Wilders’ suggestion that anti-social families be placed in special ‘scum villages’ was against all forms of decency.
According to Nos television, Bleker has also apologised personally to Wilders at the behest of CDA leader Maxime Verhagen.
Cartoon

Meanwhile, the Telegraaf reports that the website Joop.nl, part of the VARA broadcasting organisation, has removed a controversial anti-Wilders cartoon from its website.
The broadcaster made the decision because several of its staff have been seriously threatened, the paper said. The police are involved.
The cartoon likens Wilders’ plan for ‘scum villages’ to Nazi death camps.