"Menace in mad march of the thought police " - Geert Wilders

[WhiskeyGirl]

THE dark spectre of illiberalism is slowly poisoning Western liberal democracies. You won't hear about it from much of the left-liberal press. It is part of the problem and its silence only confirms that basic liberties integral to Western liberal democracies are under threat. That is why you may not have heard about the trial of Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who is being prosecuted under hate laws in The Netherlands for his opinions about Islam. Agree or disagree with Wilders, this is the thundering march of the thought police. And don't for a moment imagine that Australia is immune from this menace to democracy.

In a trial that began last month, Wilders is being prosecuted for offending a "group of people", for incitement and discrimination against Muslims. The summons describes scenes from his film Fitna as reason enough to put the leader of the Freedom Party in prison for up to two years.

In a sign of how twisted our Western antennae have become, the violence incited by Fitna is not against Muslims. Instead the film shows footage of Muslims preaching violence against the West. Yet Wilders is on trial for his opinions.

That said, Wilders does have harsh things to say about Islam. He likens the Koran to Hitler's Mein Kampf and wants it banned. No doubt this is hurtful to Muslims. No doubt this offends them. It may even be hateful. But in June 2009 Dutch prosecutors declined to act against Wilders because "freedom of expression fulfils an essential role in public debate in a democratic society. That means offensive comments can be made in a political debate."

more here - http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/menace-in-mad-marchbrof-the-thought-police/story-e6frg6zo-1225828481935

[WhiskeyGirl]

The Railroading of Geert Wilders

The Stalinist-show-trial aspect of the Geert Wilders “hate speech” trial in the Netherlands was thrown into sharp relief last week when the Amsterdam District Court refused to allow Wilders to call fifteen of the eighteen witnesses he had hoped to bring forward in his defense. Wilders in response was characteristically direct: “This Court is not interested in the truth. This Court doesn’t want me to have a fair trial. I can’t have any respect for this. This Court would not be out of place in a dictatorship.”

The three witnesses the court allowed Wilders are the Dutch Islamic scholars Hans Jansen and Simon Admiraal, along with the Wafa Sultan. Hans Jansen’s work on Islam is superb and groundbreaking, and he will be an excellent witness, as will Admiraal and the exemplary freedom fighter Wafa Sultan.

Nonetheless, this decision indicates the hollowness of Dutch justice and the court’s bias against Wilders. For some who would have been Wilders’s most effective witnesses were disallowed. He had wanted to call Mohammed Bouyeri, the murderer of Theo Van Gogh.

more here - http://frontpagemag.com/2010/02/09/the-railroading-of-geert-wilders/

[WhiskeyGirl]

The Crooked Judges of Amsterdam

Geert Wilders’s “hate speech” trial in the Netherlands began just a few weeks ago, but the outcome already seems determined. As Robert Spencer discusses in our lead story today, the Amsterdam District Court has refused to allow Wilders to call fifteen of the eighteen witnesses he had hoped to bring forward in his defense. It is also highly unlikely that the three remaining witnesses will be able to defend Wilders in the manner he desired, because the court has decided that the three witnesses will only be heard behind closed doors. With Wilders denied the opportunity to mount a forceful defense against charges that he has incited discrimination against Muslims, the Dutch court’s proceedings increasingly resemble the kind of justice-mocking show trials one has come to expect from third-world dictatorships. Political and social commentator Pat Condell has produced a powerful video in which he comments on these dire circumstances surrounding the Wilders trial and their implications for free speech – and Western civilization as we know it.

watch video here - http://frontpagemag.com/2010/02/09/the-crooked-judges-of-amsterdam/

Same story?  Predetermined outcome?

[WhiskeyGirl]

idviking · 13 hours ago
So its Hate speech to point out Islamic intolerance of non-Muslims. Mr. Wilders effort to wake up the states of western Europe will sadly fall on deaf ears. In an effort to prove how "diverse" they are the Europeans are going to surrender their culture to Islam without a whimper. Islam in Europe is daring the non-Muslims to challenge its values and Europe is cowering. I wonder how tolerant they think the Muslims will be toward them if they refuse to convert? They are murdering cartoonist for goodness sake...
Think the non-Muslim women won't have to be covered from head to toe and have less rights than a camel under Sharia law? Guess again...
God Bless Mr. Wilders for putting Islamic oppression on the world stage. Shame on the rest of the world for not noticing.

Max Conrad · 13 hours ago
So much for "liberal" countries. Can't call witnesses, testimony in secret, can't criticize if it's "politically incorrect" (no free speech).

Hard to believe the Dutch were occupied by the Nazis.

I guess they didn't learn anything.

The Inquisitor · 8 hours ago
And to think people actually believe that Hitler lost the war.

Hitler is alive and well in Holland. He's coming to America next.

more comments here - http://frontpagemag.com/2010/02/09/the-crooked-judges-of-amsterdam/

Maybe progressives and liberals are using Islam to stamp out all religion?  Only the religion of dictator worship will be allowed?