The liberal VVD and the anti-Islam PPV parties tried to limit the current ban on group insult during the coalition negotiations.

The news, revealed by newspaper NRC Handelsblad, comes a day after the Amsterdam district court ordered a retrial of the PVV leader, MP Geert Wilders, who is facing charges of group insult, inciting hatred and discrimination.

VVD leader Mark Rutte, the current PM, and Mr Wilders wanted to give politicians immunity for insulting remarks made as part of the national debate. They also intended to limit a ban on insults relating to "inherited characteristics", such as ethnic origin and gender.

The two leaders claimed they sought to expand the freedom of expression. Mr Wilders has repeatedly denounced his hate-speech trial as a "political trial" aimed at limiting the freedom of expression.

The plan was blocked by the Christian Democrat CDA party, the junior party of the minority coalition with the VVD, which is backed in parliament by the PVV. The CDA opposed the VVD and PVV plan on the grounds that insulting a religion or a philosophy of life no longer would fall under the ban.

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