Dutch hate speech trial - can you believe it?
A Dutch court convicted populist anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders of inciting discrimination Friday at the end of a trial he branded a politically motivated “charade” that endangered freedom of speech.
Presiding Judge Hendrik Steenhuis said the court would not impose a sentence because the conviction was punishment enough for a democratically elected lawmaker. Prosecutors had asked judges to fine him 5,000 euros ($5,300).
In a tweet, Wilders called the verdicts “madness” and said that he had been convicted by three judges who hated his Party for Freedom.
Wilders was not in court for the verdict that came just over three months before national elections. Wilders’ party is currently narrowly leading a nationwide poll of polls and has risen in popularity during the trial.
Even before the hearing, Wilders vowed not to let a conviction muzzle him.
“Whatever the verdict, I will continue to speak the truth about the Moroccan problem, and no judge, politician or terrorist will stop me,” he tweeted shortly before the verdict.
He had denied the charges and insisted he was performing his duty as a political leader by pointing out a problem in society...
The politically charged prosecution centered on comments Wilders made before and after the Dutch municipal elections in 2014. At one meeting in a Hague cafe, he asked supporters whether they wanted more or fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands. That sparked a chant of “Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!” — to which he replied, “we’ll take care of it.”...
Related
Read the Final Statement of Geert Wilders at his Trial, Gateston Institute, November 23, 2016.
Reaction of Geert Wilders to his conviction, Breitbart, December 9, 2016:
Speaking this morning, Mr. Wilders said the conviction wouldn’t stop him, remarking: “I will never be silent. You will not be able to stop me. And you are wrong, too”.
The Freedom Party leader criticised the premise and coverage of the trial, in which he was accused of racism, remarking his comments had been focussed purely on Moroccans, who have caused social and criminal problems in his country. He said: “Moroccans are not a race, and people who criticize Moroccans are not racists. I am not a racist and neither are my voters. This sentence proves that you judges are completely out of touch.
“And I have also a message for Prime Minister Rutte and the rest of the multicultural elite: You will not succeed in silencing me and defeating the PVV. Support for the Party for Freedom is stronger than ever, and keeps growing every day. The Dutch want their country back and cherish their freedom. It will not be possible to put the genie of positive change back in the bottle”...
Danes Perform Teeth & Bone Tests to Determine Ages of 'Child Migrants,' Find 74% Are Adults, Breitbart, December 9, 2016.