This day, 20 january 2010, the Amsterdam High Court, is to listen to Mr. Geert Wilders' defense against the multiple accusations for hate-mongering and incitement to racial hate against Muslims, Mr. Wilders is accused of in the Dutch Court. An official prosecution YouTube is on the air:
Translation:
00:00 (NL-Nu Journalist:) January 20, Geert Wilders will have to appear before the Amsterdam Court.
00:06 He is indicted for offense of groups, hate-mongering and incitement to discrimination.
00:10 The incriminated statements were made in an interview with (Dutch daily) De Volkskrant and in his video release "Fitna".
00:17 (Interviewer:) What has been said and written by Mr. Wilders, that has provoked his indictment?
00:21 (Answer by the Amsterdam Court Press Officer, Mr. Otto Van Der Bijl): In the indictment gainst Mr. Wilders, you'll find a great number of examples, of which I'll mention here some.
00:26 (Wilders in De Volkskrant, August 8, 2007): "The core of the problem is the fascist Islam, the sick ideology of Allah and Mohammed, as it has been written down in the Islamic "Mein Kampf", i.e.: the Quran."
00:35 And also: "We have plenty things we want to happen: Closing the frontiers, no more Muslims entering the Netherlands, and many Muslims have to leave Holland." (Geert Wilders in: De Pers - Online daily. March 27, 2007).
00:44 And Mr. Wilders is also indicted because of a number of statements in his well-known video "Fitna"".
00:50 (Interviewer): What punishment could Mr. Wilders get?
00:53 "For hate-mongering and discrimination, Mr. Wilders can be condemned to one year maximum in jail and a fine of next to 8.000 Euros, and the same punishment is provided by law for offense of groups, which is another part of the indictment. But the issue of the procedure is in the first place a reply to the question, if Mr. Wilders is punishable under Law. The secundary issue is what punishment he will eventually get.
01:14 Freedom of speech is an important civil liberty. But that liberty has its limits. One of them is offense and incitement to hate and discrimination.
01:27 And the Judge in this procedure, will have to decide, if Mr. Wilders has gone beyond those limits.
01:31 (Interviewer): January 20, Mr. Wilders will appear in Court. What do we have to expect that day?
01:35 The january 20 day in Court is an introductory session. Court will decide afterwards, how the process will be handled. The Prosecution will also adopt a definitive opinion only after this session. We expect, that the procedure will be concluded at the end of this year (2010) and the Prosecution will take a stand only at that point of time.
02:02 (Nu-Nl Journalist): Some days ago, Wilders objected to his indictments, but the Court rejected his complaints.
Of course, we are sceptical about the outcome of all this. But, let us be generous, and believe, hope, with me, that justice will prevail.
And will Dutch Parliament have the courage, to exclude one-man parties from participating n elections?
I doubt it. And will struggle to the end.
Whatever the End may be!
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