Hate speech trial of far-right politician Wilders will go ahead

[rooster59]

Hate speech trial of far-right politician Wilders will go ahead

 

 

A Dutch court ruled on Friday that prosecutors can pursue anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders over comments in which he led a roomful of supporters in chanting that they wanted “fewer” Moroccans in the Netherlands.

 

“We’ll take care of it,” he told them.

 

Accused of discrimination and inciting racism for the remarks, televised live in 2014, he will now face trial at the end of the month.

 

Upholding the hate speech charges, Presiding Judge Hendrik Steenhuis rejected the Freedom Party leader’s objections.

 

“Just because Mr Wilders has never been prosecuted for his remarks or his party’s views on Moroccans over the last nine years, doesn’t mean he will never be prosecuted for his comments about Moroccans,” Steenhuis told the district court in The Hague.

 

Wilders reacted to the court’s decision by tweeting that he was being “prosecuted for voicing the opinion of millions” of people.

 

In 2011, Wilders was acquitted of inciting racial hatred charges for calling for the Koran to be banned and for the deportation of “criminal” Moroccans.

 

Judges said that his remarks, while offensive to some, were within the bounds of legitimate political discourse.

 

The far-right politician’s next trial comes as his Freedom Party is neck and neck with Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s ruling conservative VVD Party in opinion polls.

 

The next general election in the Netherlands is due in March.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-10-15

[Jools]

The persecution of Geert Wilders continues. What a travesty of  justice.

[Jools]

Meanwhile.....Wilders still holds the title for "Best Politician Hair". He should be consulting Donald Trump.

[does]

36 minutes ago, Jools said:

The persecution of Geert Wilders continues. What a travesty of  justice.

And why is this a travesty of justice? Care to explain?

[vogie]

Hardly "racial hatred" wanting criminal Moroccans deported?

[BrainLife]

It is the same nonsense that Trump is getting from the left in the USA. Freedom to speak your mind seems to always hurt muslims.

 

[RuamRudy]

12 minutes ago, vogie said:

Hardly "racial hatred" wanting criminal Moroccans deported?

 

Incitement of hatred against a group of people who share a common characteristic - not racism per se, but illegal nonetheless.

[geriatrickid]

They will make him a martyr for free speech.

[BuaBS]

This is the typical way to silence opponents of the islamification in europe.

Lots of him on youtube . Wilders is Holland's last hope.

[Ace of Pop]

Judge Jimmy Hendrix was Smokin his let's roll over weed again


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Jools]

52 minutes ago, does said:

And why is this a travesty of justice? Care to explain?

If you need the concept of "free speech" to be explained to you, then you are part of the problem. The idea of "hate speech" when talking about Muslims is always one-sided. Muslims are free to spew their insanity in any direction, while those who oppose them must walk on pins and needles to avoid charges of "Islamophobia". Wilders is being persecuted...case closed, end of discussion.

[Rancid]

Bit of a stretch of the imagination to call what he said "hate" speech, they've got to be kidding. Seems more like the powers of PC using fascist laws to repress freedom of speech.

 

EU Bureaucrats - accept what we dictate without question or we'll jail you. And this isn't moving to the totalitarian state then? PC is just the excuse they use.

[oslooskar]

1 hour ago, does said:

And why is this a travesty of justice? Care to explain?

 

Pat Condell does a pretty good job of explaining. I hope posting this link is not a violation of this website's rule.

 

 

[RickBradford]

What the PC brigade don't get, and luckily never will, is that using these heavy-handed methods to try to force people to follow Right Thought simply causes a backlash.

 

The powers-that-were in the UK launched a ferocious assault against Brexit prior to the referendum (including a £9 million leaflet campaign, scare stories from Obama etc) and they got shafted.

 

The next Dutch election is in Wilders' pocket; he could win it from behind bars, if he had to, for saying something that anyone outside the kumbaya PC bubble regards as common sense.

 

The people have had enough of being sold out by the political establishment.

[aonangkrabi]

I really admired Pat Condell's clear attack on the Dutch system of multicultural (in)justice. I wish more politicians in my country the Netherlands would have the spine to reject and condemn islam.

Unfortunately Mr. Wilders can never be part of government as he lacks a following of capable politicians. He has a one-member-party (the only member being Mr.Wilders himself) and allows no democracy in his own ranks. So all capable persons steer away from him.

Pat Condell made one mistake in his speech: Mr. Pim Fortuin was not murdered by a muslim but by a lunatic veganist who could not accept Fortuin's support of meat eaters.

[Saradoc1972]

57 minutes ago, Jools said:

If you need the concept of "free speech" to be explained to you, then you are part of the problem. The idea of "hate speech" when talking about Muslims is always one-sided. Muslims are free to spew their insanity in any direction, while those who oppose them must walk on pins and needles to avoid charges of "Islamophobia". Wilders is being persecuted...case closed, end of discussion.

 

Free Speech is a basic democratic right specifically for negative criticism, for the deviating, unpleasant, maybw socially unacceptable minority opinion that may rub the majority of society the wrong way.

 

Because only that sort of opinion *needs* free speech. If you just parrot what the majority think is socially acceptable you don't *need* Free Speech. You can walk the streets of North Korea all day lauding the beloved leader at the top of your voice and feel as free as you could feel in the US calling Obama an (insert expletives as needed, if that's how you feel about him). But that is not Free Speech.

 

„Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.“

[Morch]

1 hour ago, Jools said:

If you need the concept of "free speech" to be explained to you, then you are part of the problem. The idea of "hate speech" when talking about Muslims is always one-sided. Muslims are free to spew their insanity in any direction, while those who oppose them must walk on pins and needles to avoid charges of "Islamophobia". Wilders is being persecuted...case closed, end of discussion.

 

"Muslims are free to spew their insanity in any direction..."

 

In what sense does this apply to the Netherlands? As in concrete example.

Not baiting, just wondering if the above represents sentiment or fact.

[maxcorrigan]

1 hour ago, Jools said:

If you need the concept of "free speech" to be explained to you, then you are part of the problem. The idea of "hate speech" when talking about Muslims is always one-sided. Muslims are free to spew their insanity in any direction, while those who oppose them must walk on pins and needles to avoid charges of "Islamophobia". Wilders is being persecuted...case closed, end of discussion.

Dead right, and they are so quickly outraged, and even quicker to use their most powerful weapon ECHR, but see no problem in spewing out their hatred of any faith other than islam, and western governments bend over backwards to let them accomplish their goals, of turning their host nations into the islamic cr.p holes they came from!

 

Edited October 15, 2016 by maxcorrigan
did'nt need the last line!

[elgordo38]

3 hours ago, Jools said:

The persecution of Geert Wilders continues. What a travesty of  justice.

This guy has got the powers in charge charge scared so they attack him via the court system. This could really backfire on election day in March. This is also a new attack on freedom of speech which the governments are setting perimeters for. You will see more and more of this in the future

[Grouse]

I know this doesn't quite fit with my overall outlook but I am really anti-Muslim. I did give a list of reasons on another thread- over 20 of them.

 

It is undoubtedly true that Muslims are damaging many European countries and this must stop.

 

I have no problem with TEMPORARY refuge for GENUINE REFUGEES. One reason why we need to defeat ISIS quickly and do a deal with Assad and the Russians.

 

In general, I support Wilders' stance, though I don't see the need to whip up hysteria. I don't hate or fear Muslims; I just don't like them or their social mores.

 

The way to deal with the Muslim problem is with subtlety not violence. We should just be less accommodating in lots of ways starting with banning halal meat.

 

I don't think it is hate speech to say they want less Moroccans. But why Moroccans particularly?

[vogie]

3 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

 

Incitement of hatred against a group of people who share a common characteristic - not racism per se, but illegal nonetheless.

Seems to me he mentioned 'criminal Moroccan' immigrants, so if you don't commit a crime, you will be fine. Do you think its ok to immigrate to someones country and start criminal activities, I personally don't, but there again you have the ability to defend the indefencable. I hope if I ever start commiting crimes here in Thailand I have someone like you on my right hand side.

[vogie]

41 minutes ago, Grouse said:

I know this doesn't quite fit with my overall outlook but I am really anti-Muslim. I did give a list of reasons on another thread- over 20 of them.

 

It is undoubtedly true that Muslims are damaging many European countries and this must stop.

 

I have no problem with TEMPORARY refuge for GENUINE REFUGEES. One reason why we need to defeat ISIS quickly and do a deal with Assad and the Russians.

 

In general, I support Wilders' stance, though I don't see the need to whip up hysteria. I don't hate or fear Muslims; I just don't like them or their social mores.

 

The way to deal with the Muslim problem is with subtlety not violence. We should just be less accommodating in lots of ways starting with banning halal meat.

 

I don't think it is hate speech to say they want less Moroccans. But why Moroccans particularly?

 

Because the Moroccans make up the majority (spelt right?) of immigrants in Holland I suppose.

[soalbundy]

4 hours ago, does said:

And why is this a travesty of justice? Care to explain?

He voiced an opinion which in all probability is shared by most of his countrymen and most of Western Europe. PC again, let's all pretend.

[elgordo38]

3 hours ago, BuaBS said:

This is the typical way to silence opponents of the islamification in europe.

Lots of him on youtube . Wilders is Holland's last hope.

This is a typical way of trying to silence the opposition. As stated in the article they have an election coming up in March and this guy is runnning neck and neck with the ruling party. Great way to discredit him or eliminate him. I think this will backfire. If he wins its goodbye EU

[rockingrobin]

47 minutes ago, vogie said:

Seems to me he mentioned 'criminal Moroccan' immigrants, so if you don't commit a crime, you will be fine. Do you think its ok to immigrate to someones country and start criminal activities, I personally don't, but there again you have the ability to defend the indefencable. I hope if I ever start commiting crimes here in Thailand I have someone like you on my right hand side.

He was acquitted when charged about criminal moroccan immigrants, these latest  charges are for a different speech.

[tubby johnson]

Who doesn't want fewer criminal Moroccans terrorising their neighbourhoods?

 

Kick them out.

 

 

[Baerboxer]

4 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

 

Incitement of hatred against a group of people who share a common characteristic - not racism per se, but illegal nonetheless.

 

So the incitement of hatred and violence against nationalists exercising their right of free speech would also be incitement of hatred against a group of people who share a common practice?

 

How the left, pseudo Liberals, PC side of politics try to smother opposition with gags. Freedom of speech - sure as long as we like what's being said. Democracy - sure as long as you don't vote for right wing parties. And anyone who doesn't tow the line is declared a dangerous extremist - how ironic.

[RuamRudy]

 

1 hour ago, vogie said:

Seems to me he mentioned 'criminal Moroccan' immigrants, so if you don't commit a crime, you will be fine. Do you think its ok to immigrate to someones country and start criminal activities, I personally don't, but there again you have the ability to defend the indefencable. I hope if I ever start commiting crimes here in Thailand I have someone like you on my right hand side.

 

Please don't put words in my mouth. Nowhere did I say anything of the sort. The article states clearly that he was tried and acquitted in 2011 for for talking about 'criminal Moroccans' so that is irrelevant to this case.

 

If you read the article a bit more closely, you will see that the opening paragraph explains it all - he led a room of people to chant for 'fewer Moroccans',  not 'fewer criminal Moroccans'.

[arend]

I'm American, father Dutch, mother Spanish-Indian. Lived in Netherlands with my cousin outside Amsterdam. Neighbor was one of these haters who harrassed us by tossing dog shit in our yard, giving us the finger when we went out etc. I grew up in the deep South in the waning days of segregation outside New Orleans. Neighbor was the Grand (whatever) of the KKK in the Parish I lived in. I pushed burning KKK crosses over as high school mischief. The hate was intense like a Trump rally which has brought back memories of those days. Some teachers tried to conduct class discussions of the issues but soon the class would erupt into total chaos. But, I was not personally targeted like in Netherlands probably because of father's blond looks and our Dutch last name. Even my father, a basic NeoColonialist who fought  as a Marine in Indonesia succumbed to the endemic racism. All that hate and rage I knew could not be legislated away or reasoned with. It would just go underground to surface again when it had a chance. Trump's White supremacy movement is just that chance as the corollary is the anti immigration movement in Europe. It is a fever and fall into insanity utterly beyond reason that is sweeping the planet. It's most nefarious forms can even be found right here on TV where commentors rail against stereotyped groups and calmly and rationally justify Duterte's genocidal murder of drug users without due process where just the accusation can get you killed. It reminds me of those Nazis who calmly explained the need for a "Final solution" that the gas chambers provided in a perfectly reasoned argument. I guess my point is simply that we are facing a great danger if we allow this fevered hatred to gain ground. Make no mistake, this is about white supremacy. Nipping it in the bud by taking to task the inciters is a start. Because Europeans know where this slippery slope leads, they are more invested in stopping it....

[JulesMad]

5 hours ago, Jools said:

The persecution of Geert Wilders continues. What a travesty of  justice.

 

Wilders only promotes intolerance and injustice! It would be awesome if he could be silenced forever!!! He is the travesty, not the justice system (which is definitely not perfect ;-) )