Anti-Islam campaigner and MP Geert Wilders has been found not guilty of charges of inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims and non-westerm immigrants by judges in Amsterdam.
The court ruled that some of Wilders’ statements were insulting, shocking and on the edge of legal acceptibility, but that they were made in the broad context of a political and social debate on the multi-cultural society. Talk of a tsunami of Muslims is ‘blunt and humiliating’ but is ‘not subversive and does not incite to hatred or discrimination’, the court said. And Wilders’ 17- minute video compilation Fitna could lead to feelings of hatred, but Wilders himself had not generated this feeling, the court said.
However, lawyer Gerard Spong, who was instrumental in getting the case heard, said he was disappointed because he feels Wilders did go too far with some of his statements. ‘The abusive language about Islam and the artificial distinction between Islam and Muslims have one effect: contributing to hatred of Muslims,’ he said. The judge’s ruling that such statements fall within the context of a broad debate are vague, Spong said, and raised the question ‘what is the context?’
English summary of the verdict
Categories: Law, Netherlands
Wilders is only about hate mongering. Check another news in our blog:
Five stupid things Geert Wilder said in Toronto
On May 18, 2011, in Canada, Islamophobia, Netherlands, by Zakaria Virk
http://www.themuslimtimes.org/2011/05/religion/islamophobia/five-stupid-things-geert-wilder-said-in-toronto
In this item it is stated that Wilders does not think that there is a moderate Islam, as if this blog does not exist and Ahmadiyya Muslim Community does not exist. When Wilders looks at Islam, he only sees his own reflection, he only sees ugly and cannot appreciate the positive!