From Jihad Watch:
Dutch kangaroo court hears Muslims' complaints against Wilders
"My family and I no longer feel safe in the Netherlands because Mr. Wilders is continually making hateful remarks about Islamic Dutch people." Have they been attacked? Why, no. Have marauding bands of Dutch "youth" chanting Wilders' name attacked innocent Muslims, torched mosques, burned (gasp!) the Qur'an? Why, no. Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh are still dead, however.
When a court can take seriously a complaint that Muslims no longer "feel safe" in the Netherlands because of Wilders, the rule of law is on the ropes. Law based on feelings is no law at all; it is just a club to beat the opponents of the elites and the protected classes.
Also, one wonders what resistance to jihad activity would be deemed acceptable by the Dutch elites. Islamic groups in Europe and America have never seen an anti-jihad initiative that they liked; once one starts doing their bidding, one ends up at a state of utter defenselessness fairly quickly.
"Court hears Muslims' complaints against lawmaker," by Toby Sterling for AP, October 6:
AMSTERDAM -- Muslims in the Netherlands say that remarks by politician Geert Wilders have poisoned attitudes toward them, making them feel unwelcome and at risk, according to complaints disclosed at his hate speech trial Wednesday.
"My family and I no longer feel safe in the Netherlands because Mr. Wilders is continually making hateful remarks about Islamic Dutch people," said one complaint read out by the judge. "It's getting scary. ... Soon the kids won't be able to say that they're Muslim or half-Moroccan," wrote the citizen, whose name was not released.
Dozens of similar complaints filed with public prosecutors eventually led them to file charges against Wilders, citing frequent statements he has made comparing Islam to Fascism, calling for a ban on Muslim immigration and for banning the Quran.
Wilders is charged with inciting discrimination and hatred and with insulting a people on religious grounds, punishable with up to a year in jail and a fine.
Wilders, who polls suggest is the Netherlands' most popular politician, denies any wrongdoing. He says that his opinions are protected by freedom of speech and endorsed by more than a million people who voted for him in national elections last June....
Posted by Robert on October 6, 2010 8:14 AM
And, related, also from Jihad Watch:
Wilders show trial views Fitna
Hate? Judge for yourself
Is what Fitna says about Islam and the Qur'an accurate? See here. But it is not clear in the Wilders show trial whether or not truth is an adequate defense. "Court views anti-Islam film in Wilders hate speech trial," from AP, October 6:
The hate speech trial of politician Geert Wilders has resumed with judges viewing his anti-Islam film "Fitna," which juxtaposes Koranic verses and images of violence, and offended many Muslims worldwide when it was released in 2008.
Of course, those Muslims were not offended when Islamic jihadists juxtaposed Qur'anic verses with violence by committing violent acts and justifying them by reference to those Qur'an verses.
Wilders is charged with inciting hatred against Muslims via "Fitna" and in dozens of public remarks comparing Islam to Fascism, calling for a ban on Muslim immigration and for a ban on the Koran. In one opinion piece he wrote "I've had enough of Islam in the Netherlands; let not one more Muslim immigrate," adding "I've had enough of the Koran in the Netherlands: Forbid that fascist book."
Wilders argued on Monday that he has a right to freedom of speech and that his remarks were within the bounds of the law.
"I am a suspect here because I have expressed my opinion as a representative of the people," Wilders told judges at the start of the trial.
"Formally I'm on trial here today, but with me, the freedom of expression of many, many Dutch people is also being judged," he said, referring to more than 1.4 million voters who made his party the country's third-largest in June elections....
Indeed.
Posted by Robert on October 6, 2010 7:30 AM
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