Geert Wilders to face second trial for inciting racism and hatred

Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders has been given a date of March 18th for his second trial for inciting racism and hatred – at a time when his party is topping opinion polls as a result of widespread anger over immigration from Iraq and Syria.

In June 2011, Mr Wilders was found not guilty of inciting hatred against Muslims when he compared the Koran to Hitler's Mein Kampf and described Islam as a fascist religion, comments the judges found were "within the bounds of legitimate political debate".

This time, Mr Wilders’s comments were aimed specifically at the Netherlands’ Moroccan population of about 390,000 people – representing about 10.4 per cent of Dutch nationals with ethnic roots – whose young males he claims are responsible for a disproportionately high share of crime.

Election rally

At a local elections rally on March 19th last year, Mr Wilders asked his audience whether they would prefer more Moroccans or fewer in their cities and in the

Netherlands

. When they chanted “fewer, fewer, fewer”, he replied: “Well, we’ll just have to arrange that.”

His comments led to a record 6,400 complaints to the police, a series of high-profile resignations from his Freedom Party and are widely believed to have prompted a backlash that damaged his chances of a much stronger showing in the European elections the following May.

At the time, the Freedom Party leader refused to withdraw the comments and said he would not allow himself to be silenced because he did want “fewer Moroccans and less Islam in the Netherlands”.

Mr Wilders was questioned under caution by police on December 8th last year.

Afterwards, the public prosecutor’s office issued a short statement: “Politicians can go a long way in what they say and remain protected by the right to free speech. However, that freedom is limited by the ban on discrimination.”

The opening of the case on March 18th is expected to be largely procedural, focusing on the background to the charges and setting dates for witnesses, an issue which has already been controversial.

Witnesses

In October, Mr Wilders said he planned to call some 40 defence witnesses and lodged a complaint when his list was rejected by the court.

Earlier this month the court relented and said some of the witnesses would be allowed, although it refused to say publicly which had now been deemed acceptable or why.

Mr Wilders meanwhile was voted Politician of the Year last week by a Dutch TV current affairs programme.