Amsterdam - The number of Dutch right-wing extremist rallies increased from eight to 12 in 2007, but extreme-right activists committed less incidents involving violence, an annual study released Thursday showed.

The 2008 study on racism and extremism by the Anne Frank Foundation and the University of Leiden said the number of violent incidents committed by Dutch extremists dropped by almost 10 per cent from 259 in 2006 to 223 in 2007, the lowest number in the past 10 years.

At the same time, extreme-right nationalists increasingly sought confrontations with individuals and the police.

The total number of confrontations increased to 36 incidents in 2007.

The researchers say a slight majority of the people involved in the incidents were active in neo-Nazi movements. The remainder were unaffiliated youths with rightist ideas.

According to the study, the Dutch police reported 103 violent racist incidents in 2007.

Dutch-born nationals committed a total of 86 incidents while foreign-born people were responsible for the remaining 17 incidents.

A total of three incidents committed by the foreign-born people concerned explicit anti-Semitic violence.

The study also analysed the political programme of the Freedom Party (PVV) led by legislator Geert Wilders.

According to the researchers, the Freedom Party, which runs on a platform highly critical of Islam, should be defined as extreme right- wing.

The study said the PVV contributed to increased Islamophobia in the Netherlands.

Party leader Wilders responded furiously to the findings and asked whether the researchers had become "absolutely mad." (dpa)