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You are here: Home News Dutch News Wilders to be prosecuted
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21/01/2009Wilders to be prosecuted

The Amsterdam court has ruled that the Public Prosecutor's Office should after all prosecute the populist politician Geert Wilders for anti-Islamic remarks.

AMSTERDAM—The Public Prosecutor decided halfway through last year, after six months investigation, not to prosecute on the grounds that Mr Wilders had not committed a punishable offence either in remarks he made to the Volkskrant newspaper or in his controversial film Fitna.

Dozens of organisations and private individuals had reported the PVV party leader for discrimination and inciting hatred. His comparison of the Qur'an with Hitler's book Mein Kampf and remarks in the film Fitna in particular caused widespread commotion. The decision not to proceed against Mr Wilders sparked numerous complaints to the Amsterdam court.

The Public Prosecutor's Office has accepted the ruling of the court. Mr Wilders said he was surprised and dismayed and denied having broken any law.

Radio Netherlands/Expatica



3 reactions to this article

Amsterdamned posted: 2009-01-21 22:27:42

Fair enough I suppose. But I ONLY support his prosecution if religious groups are held to the same standard and prosecuted if THEY make hatespeech. I am talking of course of religions' attitudes to homosexuality. Priests and imams and popes feel fully entitled to call homosexuality an abomination - eg the pope's speech after christmas where he compared homosexuality to the destruction of the rainforest; or the mosque in Amsterdam calling for death to homosexuals. That is hate speech worse than what Wilders said but of course no-one has been charged with anything. Religions demand freedom for their facist beliefs. But if you can't use the excuse of religious freedom then you get charged

Al posted: 2009-01-21 23:08:53

Amazing. The US has recently elected a new President, as I'm sure everyone is awhere. He also, I think, support the idea of anti-free speech laws and doctrines. In the past the US was one of the few countries that allowed free speech (which means that sometimes we need to allow views we don't agree with to be spoken.) It is amazing to me how such supposedly "free" countries in Europe always seem to wish to ban speech. If anything we should encourage MORE free speech. It is better for hatreds, jealosies, and anger to be expressed than held within until some boiling point. I fear the USA will go the way of Europe and Islamic countries and outlaw all speech that is offensive, racist, "homophobic", or disagreeable. My question is are any Muslims ever prosecuted in Holland for their sermons or speech against Isreal, homosexuals, or Christians?

James Broderick posted: 2009-01-22 06:15:25

How can you prosecute someone for SPEAKING THE TRUTH, it's a basic right.
The justice system should be worried about the increasingly frequent muslim riots that spring up in any major European city at any moment. Read the signs they carry. How can you handicap the native population not to speak out against this group of people they find THREATENING, it would leave them defenseless.
Muslims have already MURDERED critics like Theo Van Gogh and Pim Fortyum and the only connection the murders have between each other is Islam.
No one has proved Geert Wilders wrong, so why silence him.

3 reactions to this article

Amsterdamned posted: 2009-01-21 22:27:42

Fair enough I suppose. But I ONLY support his prosecution if religious groups are held to the same standard and prosecuted if THEY make hatespeech. I am talking of course of religions' attitudes to homosexuality. Priests and imams and popes feel fully entitled to call homosexuality an abomination - eg the pope's speech after christmas where he compared homosexuality to the destruction of the rainforest; or the mosque in Amsterdam calling for death to homosexuals. That is hate speech worse than what Wilders said but of course no-one has been charged with anything. Religions demand freedom for their facist beliefs. But if you can't use the excuse of religious freedom then you get charged

Al posted: 2009-01-21 23:08:53

Amazing. The US has recently elected a new President, as I'm sure everyone is awhere. He also, I think, support the idea of anti-free speech laws and doctrines. In the past the US was one of the few countries that allowed free speech (which means that sometimes we need to allow views we don't agree with to be spoken.) It is amazing to me how such supposedly "free" countries in Europe always seem to wish to ban speech. If anything we should encourage MORE free speech. It is better for hatreds, jealosies, and anger to be expressed than held within until some boiling point. I fear the USA will go the way of Europe and Islamic countries and outlaw all speech that is offensive, racist, "homophobic", or disagreeable. My question is are any Muslims ever prosecuted in Holland for their sermons or speech against Isreal, homosexuals, or Christians?

James Broderick posted: 2009-01-22 06:15:25

How can you prosecute someone for SPEAKING THE TRUTH, it's a basic right.
The justice system should be worried about the increasingly frequent muslim riots that spring up in any major European city at any moment. Read the signs they carry. How can you handicap the native population not to speak out against this group of people they find THREATENING, it would leave them defenseless.
Muslims have already MURDERED critics like Theo Van Gogh and Pim Fortyum and the only connection the murders have between each other is Islam.
No one has proved Geert Wilders wrong, so why silence him.

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