Geert Wilders is an outspoken Dutch critic of Islam, and of unchecked Muslim immigration into Europe. He is also the head of the Freedom Party, which has soared in popularity and is part of the newly formed government coalition. And he is on trial for his speech, in a proceedings that should horrify the civilized world. There is a lot of commentary on his trial; here’s some of the best.
Pamela Geller says In Wilders trial, free speech is also on trial at Big Journalism.
In what can only to be described as a throwback to the seventh century, Dutch Parliamentarian and anti-jihad warrior Geert Wilders was back in court Monday on specious “hate speech” charges filed by a corrupt, criminal dhimmi court in the Netherlands. How dare they subjugate their Western values to Islamic supremacism in this dangerous farce?
Check out the photo of a man holding a sign saying: BEHEAD THOSE WHO INSULT ISLAM.
Mark Tapscot says Freedom of Speech on trial in the Netherlands is a hint of things to come in America, at the Washington Examiner.
Dutch political leader Geert Wilders has fought this Islamified PC and is now on trial for doing so, accused of committing a “hate crime” by speaking these lines:
“We must stop the tsunami of the Islamization. This hits us in the heart, in our identity, in our culture.”
Wilders is being prosecuted after complaints following an August 2007 essay titled “Enough is Enough: Outlaw the Koran, published by the Dutch newspaper De Volksrant, in which Wilders called the Koran “fascist” and compared it to the book Mein Kampf. Wilders also 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.” A year later, he released the documentary film “Fitna,” in which he calls on Muslims to rip out “hate-preaching” verses from the Koran.
In a February 2008 interview with Britain’s leftwing Guardian newspaper, Wilders said: “Islam is something we cannot afford any more in the Netherlands. I want the fascist Koran banned. We need to stop the Islamization of the Netherlands. That means no more mosques, no more Islamic schools, no more imams.” He added that Islam was “the ideology of a retarded culture,” and said that “not all Muslims are terrorists, but almost all terrorists are Muslims.”
In February 2009, the British government led by Prime Minister Gordon Brown banned Wilders from entering Britain on grounds of Islamophobia. That ban was lifted in October 2009 after a British court ruled that the entry ban was illegal.
The attempt to bring Wilders to trial was initially dismissed after the Public Prosecutor (OM) originally said that Wilders was protected by the right to free speech. But an appeals court overruled him and ordered that Wilders be charged. The case against Wilders was initiated by the extreme left anti-racism group called Netherlands Admits Color.
Some of the most prominent legal scholars in the Netherlands have spoken out against the case, arguing that “this prosecution does not befit a civilized country.” Adding to speculation that the proceedings against Wilders are pre-cooked, the Amsterdam court is refusing to allow Wilders to call four legal scholars as witnesses because the judges say they have already “learned enough” about the case from other sources.
And he describes the influence Wilders has had on Dutch politics:
The trial comes at a moment when Wilders is close to seeing many of his policy goals realized. On September 30, Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) agreed to support a new minority government made up of the Liberals (VVD) and the Christian Democrats (CDA). Following inconclusive elections in June, the new government is expected to take office in October with a tiny majority (76 seats in the 150-seat parliament). It will be led by Mark Rutte, the VVD leader, as prime minister.
In return for the support of Wilders’ 24 seats in parliament, his political allies have promised to ban the burqa, turn away more asylum-seekers and cut immigration from non-Western countries in half. Under the pact, radical religious leaders could be barred from entering the country; immigrants convicted of crimes would be expelled more rapidly, and those who failed an integration exam would lose their residence permits.
The coalition government also plans to pursue more Euroskeptic policies, and invest in Dutch relations with Israel. “This is an historic event for the Netherlands,” Wilders said after reaching the coalition agreement. “We will be able to rebuild our country, preserve our national identity and offer our children a better future. We want to stop the Islamization of the Netherlands.”
How similar this is to politics here. A ruling class of elites does all it can to impose political correctness and multiculturalism, even at the cost of the survival of their own nation and civilization. But the ordinary people see exactly what is at stake, and as soon as a politician is brave enough to speak out, he gains an enormous following. Wilders is having an effect all over Europe, as his message resonates and his courage inspires.
See our previous posts on Geert Wilders here.