Populist Lawmaker Wilders Convicted of Anti-Moroccan Chants

File: _92893653_gettyimages-625320684[1].jpg (30KB, 660x371px) Image search: [Google]

30KB, 660x371px

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/12/09/world/europe/ap-eu-netherlands-wilders.html

>AMSTERDAM — Populist anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders was found guilty Friday of insulting and inciting discrimination against Moroccans, a conviction he immediately slammed as a "shameful" attack on free speech and an attempt to "neutralize" him.


>Presiding Judge Hendrik Steenhuis said the court would not impose a sentence because the conviction was punishment enough for a democratically elected lawmaker.

>Wilders was not in court for the verdict that came just over three months before national elections. His Party for Freedom is narrowly leading a nationwide poll of polls and has risen in popularity during the trial.

>Wilders quickly released a video message, in English and Dutch, slamming the judgment and vowing to appeal.

>"Today, I was convicted in a political trial which, shortly before the elections, attempts to neutralize the leader of the largest and most popular opposition party," Wilders said. "They will not succeed."

>The politically charged prosecution centered on comments Wilders made before and after the Dutch municipal elections in 2014. At one meeting in a Hague cafe, he asked supporters whether they wanted more or fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands. That sparked a chant of "Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!" — to which he replied, "we'll take care of it."
...
From The Netherlands:
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2016/12/98817-2/
>Strong reactions to Wilders guilty verdict on hate speech