http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/01/201012094532873241.html
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
14:13 Mecca time, 11:13 GMT
Dutch MP on trial for 'hate speech'
Geert Wilder's comments against Islam have sparked protests
around the world [EPA]
Geert Wilders, a right-wing Dutch MP, has appeared in an Amsterdam court
on charges of inciting hatred against Muslims.
The Freedom Party leader is standing trial after a court overruled a
decision by the public prosecutor, who had argued Wilders was protected by the
right to free speech.
Wilders is being charged over his 2008 film Fitna, which urged Muslims to
tear out "hate-filled" passages from the Quran and juxtaposes images of the
September 11, 2001 attacks on the US with quotations from the text.
Writing on his website before the trial on Wednesday, the MP said he
would "remain combative and still convinced that this political process will
only lead to an acquittal".
His supporters have staged demonstrations outside the court, holding
banners saying "Freedom Yes", arguing that his prosecution would be an assault
on freedom of speech.
An anti-racism group has also responded to the trial by placing 100
comments from Wilders online to back up its allegations that the MP is guilty
of inciting immigrant hate and discrimination.
'Anti-Islamic'
Fitna is an Arabic word which has numerous meanings including "sedition"
and "temptation", and appears in the Quran.
Its release prompted protests in Pakistan, Iran, Indonesia and
Afghanistan, while Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary-general, described
the film as "offensively anti-Islamic".
Wilders has previously sparked outrage over other anti-Islamic comments
in the media, including calling for a ban on the Quran and comparing the book
to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.
Wilders has become one of the Netherland's leading politicians, with his
party emerging last year as the country's second-largest party in the European
Parliament.
Recent polls have also indicated the Freedom Party stands a chance to
become the largest in the Dutch Parliament in national elections due in May
2011.
If convicted, Wilders would face a maximum sentence of 15 months.
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