UPDATE: Great news on the freedom front. The Dutch have made the right decision to support free thought.
Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders was acquitted of inciting hatred of Muslims in a court ruling on Thursday that may strengthen his political influence and exacerbate tensions over immigration policy.It is a shame that it takes a judge to remind everyone of that - but such a place the Left has brought us.
The case was seen by some as a test of free speech in a country which has a long tradition of tolerance and blunt talk, but where opposition to immigration, particularly from Muslim or predominantly Muslim countries, is on the rise.
Instantly recognizable by his mane of dyed blond hair, Wilders, 47, is one of the most outspoken critics of Islam and immigration in the Netherlands.
His Freedom Party is now the third-largest in parliament, a measure of support for its anti-immigrant stance, and is the minority government's chief ally. But many of Wilders' comments -- such as likening Islam to Nazism -- are socially divisive.
The presiding judge said Wilders' remarks were sometimes "hurtful," "shocking" or "offensive," but that they were made in the context of a public debate about Muslim integration and multi-culturalism, and therefore not a criminal act.
Huzzah!
Too bad all the judges aren't like this one.
ReplyDeleteKung Fu is nice and all, and so is fencing, chess, and anything else you want to name--but sometimes it's just time to go for a game of "Global Thermonuclear War" and end some things one way or the other.
ReplyDeleteI think we are there, even if it takes a while to play out.
I agree. Three cheers!
ReplyDelete<span><span>Greetings:
ReplyDeleteLet's not overlook the "sometimes the process IS the punishment" aspect. The Dutch apparatchiks, a term with which, hopefully, we all still have some familiarity, have managed to tie up Mr. Wilders and his resources for a couple of years now. With no sincere apology on their horizon, and certainly, as the good Sisters used to say back in Catholic school, no firm purpose of amendment, many of the Dutch citizens will have gotten the apparatus' message to tread very lightly, if at all when it comes to Islamomania and their muslim brothers and sisters. As one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs goes, "It ain't dark but it's gettin' there."</span>Today, 9:27:39 AM PDT<span><span>– </span>Like</span><span><span> – </span>Reply</span><span><span> – </span>Delete</span><span>
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anyway, with even Chancellor Merkel in her blunt way saying multiculturalism has failed, things seem heading in new direction... the tide is turning?
ReplyDeleteThe process is the punishment....good comment. I am sure there are some opponents of Mr Wilders who view this as what we would call a "soft kill"...they may not have gotten a conviction this time but tying him up in the process for years is almost the same thing. Plus you can lie in wait for Mr Wilders' next comment and repeat ad naseum...
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