TIMES ONLINE: The Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders was greeted with applause from the public gallery as he faced court for the first day of his landmark trial on charges of inciting racial hatred against Muslims.
Mr Wilders, 46, sat impassively as his lawyer argued that the leader of the Freedom Party, which made big gains at last summer's European elections, had made his critical remarks about Islam in his role as an elected Member of Parliament.
Bram Moszkowicz said that Mr Wilders had a mandate to speak out against what he saw as the Islamisation of the Netherlands and argued that he had not discriminated against a specific national group, saving his attacks for the ideology of political Islam.
Around 200 supporters of Mr Wilders had travelled from as far as Cologne in Germany to hold up placards declaring that free speech was under assault by Islam and by the politically correct. The case is being watched as a test of the limits of political tolerance in the Netherlands after years of relaxed immigration policies which have seen the Musim population rise to around 1 million out of 16 million.
"This case is about more than Mr Wilders," Mr Moszkowicz told Amsterdam District Court this morning. "It touches us all. It is such an important and principled question that could have far-reaching consequences."
Mr Wilders faces a 70-page charge sheet covering five counts of breaking Dutch law on incitement and discriminiation against Muslims in more than 100 public statements, for example by likenening the Koran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf and calling for an end to the "Islamic invasion."
The alleged offences include Mr Wilders' film Fitna, which shows images of 9/11 and beheadings interspersed with verses from the Koran. It ends with a the controverisal Danish cartoon of the prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb as a turban. Far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders on trial for anti-Muslim stance >>> David Charter in Amsterdam | Wednesday, January 20, 2010
NZZ ONLINE: Zu Beginn seines Prozesses wegen angeblicher Anstachelung zum Hass gegen Muslime hat der niederländische Rechtspopulist Geert Wilders alle Vorwürfe der Volksverhetzung zurückgewiesen.
Die ihm zur Last gelegten kritischen Äusserungen über Muslime, den Koran und den Islam seien «ein substanzieller Beitrag zur öffentlichen Debatte» und keineswegs strafbar, erklärte Wilders Abraham Moszkowicz vor Gericht in Amsterdam.
Der Gründer und Chef der Partei für die Freiheit (PVV) habe seine Islam-Kritik zudem stets in seiner Eigenschaft als Abgeordneter des niederländischen Parlaments vorgebracht und müsse daher Immunität geniessen. Gerichtsgebäude abgeriegelt >>> sda/dpa | Mittwoch, 20. Januar 2010
MEIN KOMMENTAR: So nervös sind wir des Islams wegen in Europa geworden, daß harmlose Kommentare wie dieser, aus Angst, werden nicht mehr gedruckt:
In Europa ist es so weit gekommen, daß wir nicht mehr aussprechen dürfen, was für ein Gefahr für unsere Zivilisation und unsere Freiheit Islam ist. Erstaunlich! Blödsinnig! Dumm! Wir begehen Selbstmord! – © Mark
