A trial against Dutch MP Geert Wilders for hatemongering can go ahead after objections were brushed aside by the Public Prosecutor.
Mr Wilders’ lawyer Bram Moszkowicz had argued that his client was being accused of far more than was included in the formal charges, which mention hatemongering, discrimination and insulting a section of the population, public broadcaster NOS reports.
Another objection, that the Amsterdam court was not qualified, was rebuffed by the observation that the alleged offences by the accused were committed in Amsterdam, among others. The fact that Mr Wilders’ anti-Islam movie pamphlet, Fitna, was released through a US website was not considered relevant, seeing that the film was targeting a Dutch-speaking audience.