Dutch News reports:
The public prosecution department on Friday afternoon stated that Geert Wilders is not guilty of discriminating against Muslims. Earlier on Friday it announced he should also be found not guilty of inciting hatred.Prosecutors Birgit van Roessel and Paul Velleman reached their conclusions after a careful reading of interviews with and articles by the anti-Islam politician and a viewing of his anti-Koran film Fitna.
They said comments about banning the Koran can be discriminatory, but because Wilders wants to pursue a ban on democratic lines, there is no question of incitement to discrimination 'as laid down in law'.
On the comparison of the Koran with Mein Kampf, the prosecutors said the comparison was 'crude but that did not make it punishable'.Dealing earlier on Friday with incitement to hatred, Van Roessel and Velleman said some comments could incite hatred against Muslims if taken out of context, but if the complete text is considered, it can be seen that Wilders is against the growing influence of Islam and not against Muslims per sé.
On Tuesday, the prosecutors said the MP should not be found guilty of group insult.The public prosecution department was forced to take the case by the high court after anti-racism campaigners protested at its refusal to prosecute Wilders.
Good news, not just for what was once the Dutch Republic, but for liberty everywhere.UPDATE: On PajamasMedia, Leon de Winter clarifies an oddity of the Dutch justice system: prosecutors have recommended that Wilders be acquitted, and though it is highly improbable, it is still technically within the court's discretion to convict.
The Corner
By Daniel Foster from the National Review  
Prosecutors ask for Wilders acquittal on all charges: the prosecutors tasked with bringing charges against him never wanted to do so.
Radio Netherlands deems the trial "as good as over." But the case, in fact, is actually not over until the "lunatic judges" (as Andy McCarthy calls them) do accept the prosecutors' recommendation. Their verdict is expected on Nov. 5. (October 16, 2010)
via danielpipes.orgOct 15 (Reuters) - Prosecutors asked a Dutch court on Friday to acquit anti-immigration lawmaker Geert Wilders on charges of inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims.
Prosecutors, who had already called on the court to drop a charge that Wilders insulted Muslims by comparing Islam to Nazism, said his comments targeted Islam and not Muslims as a group. They said he also had the right as a politician to make statements about perceived problems in society.
via reuters.com
