Populist politician Geert Wilders's negative views of Islam - he has called it "retarded" and "inherently violent" - are his opinions, not irrefutable facts, Dutch prosecutors argued yesterday at his criminal trial for inciting hatred.
Wilders has argued that his views of Islam are supported by expert and academic analysis, and that speaking the truth cannot be a crime. He says the charges against him are an attack on freedom of speech.
But at the second hearing of his closely watched trial, prosecutors countered that there is no general agreement about the nature of Islam, and Wilders's statements are opinions that cross the legal threshold. However, prosecutors have dropped one charge against him, of insulting a group on the basis of its religion, noting that his statements have been mostly directed toward Islam as an ideology, rather than Muslims. [The Scotsman] Read more
