Trial Opens for Anti-Islamic Dutch Politician
Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders' words are coming back to haunt him -- in court. Wilders, an ultra-right-wing member of the Netherlands parliament, has drawn fire in recent years for his vocal anti-Islam stance, which he has expressed both in cinematic form and in what prosecutors in Amsterdam allege is hate speech.
Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders’ words are coming back to haunt him — in court. Wilders, an ultra-right-wing member of the Netherlands parliament, has drawn fire in recent years for his vocal anti-Islam stance, which he has expressed both in cinematic form and in what prosecutors in Amsterdam allege is hate speech. –KA
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...AP via Yahoo News:
Wilders’ criminal trial for allegedly inciting hate against Muslims has resonance across Europe: He is one of a dozen right-wing politicians on the continent who are testing the limits of freedom of speech while voicing voters’ concerns at the growth of Islam.
The flamboyant bleach-blond politician has also called for taxing clothing commonly worn by Muslims, such as headscarves, because they “pollute” the Dutch landscape. He may be best known for the 2008 short film “Fitna,” which offended Muslims around the world by juxtaposing Quranic verses with images of terrorism by Islamic radicals.
“I know the words I use are sometimes hard, but they are never impetuous,” he told judges Wednesday.
“I also do not intend to hurt people’s feelings. I have nothing against Muslims. I have a problem with Islam and the Islamization of our country because Islam is diametrically opposed to freedom.”
This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
The sentencing of a former general for the slaughter of civilians in the Bosnian war is a bitter reminder: Key nations of the West, including the U.S., have been deeply complicit in genocide.
The city of Utrecht in the Netherlands is considering introducing a universal basic income -- an income unconditionally granted to all its residents on an individual basis, without a means test or work requirement.
Is it or isn't it? Turns out it is -- that is, a still-life painting of a dynamic flower arrangement that experts at the Kroeller-Mueller Museum in the Netherlands once believed to be the work of Vincent van Gogh but then questioned has been reattributed to the Dutch postimpressionist, thanks in part to some X-ray sleuthing.
Depending on how you see it, a Dutch court's acquittal Thursday of controversial politician Geert Wilders is an instance of hate speech gone unpunished or, as Wilders himself put it, "a victory for freedom of expression in the Netherlands."
For the first time in the country's history, Spain has won soccer's coveted World Cup, defeating the Netherlands' national team on Sunday in a tense match that ended after a late goal in extra time.
Electoral victories for Dutch-speaking separatists in Belgium have further shaken the fragile unity of the European country. Nationalist movements there continue to gain momentum, and this, analysts say, has pushed Belgium "close to the abyss" of permanent national division.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.