Dutch party leader cleared of inciting hatred

GEERT WILDERS, one of Europe's most high-profile right-wingpolitical leaders, was acquitted by a Dutch court yesterday oncharges of inciting hatred of Muslims - in a ruling which is likelyto exacerbate tensions over immigration policy in the Netherlands.

As he emerged from court in Amsterdam at the end of a trial whichbegan last October, Mr Wilders (47) said he was "incredibly happy",and described the outcome as "not just an acquittal for me, but avictory for freedom of expression in the Netherlands".

He added: "The good news is that, as a result of this ruling, itis legal to speak in a critical way about Islam. The Islamicisationof our societies is a major problem and a threat to our freedom -and I'm allowed to say so. I have not been muzzled."

Mr Wilders was charged in January 2009 with inciting hatred anddiscrimination based on anti-Islamic statements he made in speeches,in articles, on the internet, and in his controversial 2008 film,Fitna - Arabic for Dissention - which mixes Koranic verses withvideo footage of extremist attacks.

The 17-minute film caused outrage among minority groups bycomparing the Koran to Adolf Hitler's apologia, Mein Kampf.

Anti-racism campaigners and leaders of the ethnic community whoinitiated the case against the Freedom Party (PVV) leader told thetrial that Mr Wilders's comments had led to a rise in discriminationand violence against Muslims - and they sought a symbolic penalty inthe form of a one euro fine.

However, Judge Marcel van Oosten found in Mr Wilders's favouryesterday, finding him not guilty on all the charges and ruling thathis comments had been directed at Islam as a religion and not atMuslim believers.

He said that while some of the statements were "insulting,shocking and on the edge of legal acceptability", they were made inthe broad context of a vigorous political and social debate in amulticultural society.

At the end of the 20-minute ruling, Judge van Oosten said thatwhile the bench found many of the comments - especially those about"a tsunami of immigrants" - both "gross and denigrating", they hadnot given rise to hatred.

The verdict was greeted with applause from PVV supporters packedinto the public gallery.

However, Ties Prakken, lawyer for the plaintiff immigrant groups,said they were "deeply disappointed" by the decision, and believedthe right of minorities to be protected against hate speech had beenviolated.

While the ruling will not be appealed in the Netherlands by theprosecuting authorities, who accepted during the trial that MrWilders's comments were offensive but not illegal, it is possiblethat the plaintiffs will continue their campaign to the EuropeanCourt of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Boosted by its anti-immigrant stance, the PVV is now the third-largest political party in the Dutch parliament and an essentialsupporter of the minority Liberal-Christian Democrat coalition ledby prime minister Mark Rutte.

That leverage has already won Mr Wilders major concessions, whichhave been added to the programme for government, including anagreement to halve immigration from non-western countries, a ban onthe burqa, and the rejection of a higher proportion of asylumapplications.

Some observers believe that yesterday's judicial victory willembolden Mr Wilders even further. "This means that his politicalviews are condoned by law and his political rhetoric has beenlegalised," said Dr Andre Krouwel, a political scientist atAmsterdam's Free University.