A vitriolic row over race relations erupted into the heart of Denmark's general election campaign yesterday when Islamic leaders urged the country's 170,000 Muslims to vote against the ruling centre-right coalition.

The call, which drew a furious response from Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the prime minister, came as 300 Danish intellectuals and artists, including the film director Lars von Trier, also said they were mobilising a protest against Denmark's military presence in Iraq.