Dutch Anti-Islam Politician Geert Wilders Faces Trial for Inciting Hatred Analysts say the publicity surrounding the trial could boost Mr. Wilders’ ratings in polls before March vote By Maarten van Tartwijk
http://www.wsj.com/articles/dutch-anti-islam-politician-geert-wilders-faces-trial-for-inciting-hatred-1477904855
SCHIPHOL, the Netherlands—Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders went on trial for discrimination and inciting hatred, in a case that could have far-reaching consequences for the political discourse in the Netherlands ahead of general elections.
The weekslong trial, which formally began on Monday, comes as Mr. Wilders is expected to become a front-runner in the March vote amid a rise in populist movements across Europe. His trial will address a fundamental question: Is the right of free speech for politicians absolute, or should it be restricted to protect against discrimination?
Mr. Wilders is being charged over comments he made during local elections in 2014. At a party rally in The Hague, he asked supporters if they wanted more or fewer Moroccans in the country. The crowd responded by chanting: “Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!” Mr. Wilders replied: “Well, we’ll take care of it then.”
More than 6,400 people filed complaints with the police after the speech was broadcast on national television, including many citizens of Dutch-Moroccan origin who accused the politician of sowing hatred and fueling ethnic tensions.
“Parliamentarians have great freedom to say what they stand for,” Dutch prosecutors said. ”However, it does not exempt them from the responsibility of complying with the law.”
Mr. Wilders, who didn’t attend the opening of the trial, has argued that he was only talking about specific problems and that he didn’t want all Moroccans to leave the country.
“This trial is a farce,” he said according to a statement read out by his lawyer. “Political statements should be discussed in parliament and not in court.”
On the first day of the trial, which took place in a high-security courtroom close to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, the court sought to establish the events surrounding the speeches and the validity of the complaints.
If he is convicted, Mr. Wilders could theoretically be sent to jail, although he is more likely to receive a fine or a community-service sentence. The trial will take more than three weeks and a ruling is expected in December.
Mr. Wilders, 53 years old, is one of Europe’s most prominent and controversial anti-Islam politicians. He has described the religion as a fascist ideology that should be removed from Dutch society.
In his one-page election manifesto he calls for a “de-Islamization” of the Netherlands. He wants to ban the Quran, shut mosques and close the borders to migrants from Islamic countries. An average of polls shows his Party for Freedom is slightly behind the center-right Liberal Party of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
It is the second time Mr. Wilders has faced prosecution on hate-speech charges. In 2011, a court acquitted him on the grounds that freedom-of-speech laws protected such rhetoric in the Netherlands. Dutch prosecutors say the latest charges are different because this time “an entire population group is now lumped together.” CONTINUE AT SITE
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