• Italy: Mario Borghezio, who represents Italy in the European Parliament and is a member of Italy's anti-immigration Northern League Party, reacted to the criticisms concerning the Swiss reform. He declared that "the flag of a courageous Switzerland which wants to remain Christian is flying over a near-Islamised Europe." The Northern League minister Roberto Calderoni stressed his colleague's opinion by saying that "Switzerland is sending us a clear signal: yes to bell towers, no to minarets."

• The Netherlands: The anti-Islam Freedom party is growing in popularity. Reacting to the Swiss initiative, its leader Geert Wilders advocated the implementation of a similar reform in Holland. Wilders called it "the first time that people in Europe have stood up to a form of Islamisation." He expressed his desire to call for a similar referendum, stating that "What can be done in Switzerland can be done here".

• Denmark: The Danish People's Party has the same aspiration. Its leader Pia Kjaersgaard declared her wish to undergo a similar referendum in Denmark.

• France: Marie Le Pen, the leader of the Front National, supports the Swiss decision on the basis that the "elites should stop denying the aspirations and fears of the European people, who, without opposing religious freedom, reject ostentatious signs that political-religious Muslim groups want to impose."

• Austria: The far-right Alliance for the Future of Austria also supported the ban on minaret, sating that "as long as fanatic Islamists describe their mosques as army barracks ... we will prevent building such installations to protect our democracy, human rights and freedom."

In Switzerland, shortly after the announcement of the ban on minarets, the conservative leader Christophe Darbellay escalated the debate and demanded further reforms. He called for a ban on the wearing of the burka and on Jewish cemeteries. He does not request the destruction of existing cemeteries but he declared that there should not be separate cemeteries in the future.

The presence of minarets in European countries is an especially pertinent one at present. In Germany, right wing groups condemned the building of a mosque in Cologne that started in early November 2009. They claimed that a high minaret would ruin the city's skyline. In Copenhagen, the construction of two grand mosques is also a controversial subject.  Similarly, the decision to build a large mosque with a 25 meter high minaret in Marseille has activated an agitated debate.