“Formally, only I stand on trial here, but in practice the freedom of speech of millions of Dutchmen is on trial.”
Geert Wilders, head of the Freedom Party in the Netherlands, in final remarks to the court ahead of a verdict in his case. Prosecutors charged the politician with “incitement to hatred and discrimination” for his criticism of Islam. His 2008 movie, Fitna, explores the Islamic roots of the 9/11 attacks; British and other European officials have banned public screenings of it.
