Anti-Islam campaigner Geert Wilders should never have been taken to court on inciting hatred charges because he has already been found guilty, the MP’s lawyer Bram Moszkowicz said on Tuesday. Moszkowicz was outlining the defence’s case at the MP’s trial in Amsterdam.
The lawyer said Amsterdam appeal court had already found the MP guilty in January 2009, when it ruled in favour of a group of individuals and organisations who wanted to see Wilders prosecuted. The public prosecution department, which last week said the MP should be found not-guilty on all counts, had decided not to take him to court, saying there was no case against him.
Moszkowicz said that appeal court ruling meant Wilders could not have a fair trial. It is a “scandal” that the court has already ruled Wilders to be an Islamaphobe, the lawyer said. “Judges, a previous court has already decided that Wilders’ statements are insulting to Muslims,” Moszkowicz, who estimates his full testimony will take 14 hours, said.
In addition, Moszkowicz said it is important to note that at least some of the statements made by Wilders are true. He likened the MP to Galileo, who went against established church teachings in the 17th century when he argued the sun did not revolve around the earth.
See also Daily Express, 19 October 2010