Wilders Acquitted; Free Speech Prevails in Politically-Correct Holland
(The New American) -- by Bruce Walker --
Geert Wilders (left), member of the Dutch Parliament's Party of Freedom who was criminally prosecuted for speaking out about the Islamic immigration and integration problem in the Netherlands, has been acquitted of "hate speech" crimes. During a public debate about Muslim integration and multiculturalism, Wilders had declared, “The core problem is the fascist Islam, the sick ideology of Allah and Mohammed as laid down in the Islamic Mein Kampf, the Quran.” The presiding judge found that his remarks were “at the edge of what’s legally permissible,” "hurtful," "offensive," and of an “inciting character.” But the court declared that, given the context of his comments, his speech did not constitute a criminal act.
The court observed of Wilders' short 2008 film about Islam, Fitna, that “Given the film in its whole and the context of societal debate, the court finds that there is no question of inciting hate with the film.”
Wilders commented after the verdict:
It’s not only an acquittal for me, but a victory for freedom of expression in the Netherlands. Fortunately you’re allowed to discuss Islam in public debate and you’re not muzzled.Unsurprisingly, not everyone was happy with the acquittal. Aydin Akkaya, Chairman of the Council of Turks in the Netherlands, voiced his displeasure: “What surprises me is that the judge says that what’s permissible is determined by the context of societal debate. In other words, if you just find a ‘context’ you can go nuts.” Mohammed Rabbae, Chairman of the National Moroccan Council, warned of a lawsuit: “We will go to the United Nations Council for Human Rights in Geneva. The suit will be directed against the government."
Academia also quickly took sides against Wilders. Professor Leo Lucassen, Chair of the Social History Department at Leiden University, averred that the verdict “will further the inward-looking and to some extent xenophobic atmosphere in the Netherlands” and that it “fuels this idea of immigrants who are basically an alien element to the Dutch people.” Andre Krouwel of Amsterdam’s Free University called the decision a “incredible mistake” which “legalized populist rhetoric.” He warned:
Inside the Netherlands and outside, politicians will now go the same way: to the edge of what is allowed. Right-wing politicians in other countries will be able to point to the Netherlands and say, "They can say it there — why not here?"...Geert Wilders, of course, was not lying. At worst, he was expressing a negative opinion about Islam. If Christians in Europe hailed before the courts everyone who said something negative about Christianity, then the courts would have almost no time for anything else. Politicians constantly take issue with, or even attack, the policies and beliefs of others. When people can no longer argue with others and say what they think, then there is no freedom.
But the problem goes much deeper than simply a religious issue. When Andre Krouwel attacks “right-wing politicians,” many wonder why that not hate speech directed against conservative members of government. When Leo Lucassen talks about the “inward looking and to some extent xenophobic atmosphere in the Netherlands,” is he is engaged in hate speech directed toward those Dutchmen who agree with Wilders? Liberal professors in Holland have spoken against capitalists, Catholics, and “conservatives” without prosecution. When a mullah in a Dutch mosque declares, “Death to Israel” or “Death to America,” would that be considered hate speech?
Freedom of speech won a solid victory in the Netherlands with the acquittal of Wilders. But the complaining of Muslims and academicians after the verdict demonstrates that though this battle was won, the politically-correct war is not over...MORE...LINK
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Wilders wins a resounding victory against political correctness and attempted thought and speech control
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Chris Moore comments:
Not only the multi-cultural totalitarians and Islamic totalitarians are going to have trouble swallowing this one, but so are the Judeofascists.
Hey, anyone who can't stand the free-speech heat can get the hell out of Western civilization and go live under the Zionists, Mullahs or Mexican narco-terrorists.
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