Geert Wilders on Trial for hate speech - closing argument

[MD]

No, he should not be prosecuted. And I'm part Moroccan.

Singer is Moroccan

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

There is no free speech when it comes to encitement, or hate crimes.
if you exceed the limits laid down in law you will be prosecuted.
The case against Wilders was not, and could not have been instigated by politicians. It.was a matter for law officers and the police. Unlike The Usa, law officer and chiefs of police departments are independent and not part of the elected political process.

 

[Kirran]

No, he should not be prosecuted. And I'm part Moroccan.

When did this happen?

 

[Rival]

When did this happen?

When did what happen?

 

[Kirran]

When did what happen?

I just never knew you were part Moroccan, if that was serious. I would have thought it'd have come up in some of our conversations.

 

[MD]

Geert Wilders is another example of how the Left is losing touch with reality.

Some cultures are incompatible, and when those incompatibilities aren't addressed you have the rise of other personalities.

As someone who's half Middle Eastern, with Middle Eastern features and a Muslim sounding name I don't blame the Dutch for choosing a politician who defends their culture vs protecting one that is alien to Europe. I would think that Islam is much more compatible with American culture than with European.

Either the Left addresses the issues Europe has with Islam, or except Le Pen, Wilders and more Right wing leaders to come to power.

 

[Rival]

I just never knew you were part Moroccan, if that was serious. I would have thought it'd have come up in some of our conversations.

It's not really that serious for me, I was just using it as a sort of irony given that I support Wilders' right to say what he said.

 

[Sultan Of Swing]

There is no free speech when it comes to encitement, or hate crimes.
if you exceed the limits laid down in law you will be prosecuted.
The case against Wilders was not, and could not have been instigated by politicians. It.was a matter for law officers and the police. Unlike The Usa, law officer and chiefs of police departments are independent and not part of the elected political process.

"or hate crimes"
How do you define what is a 'hate crime' is? When it offends someone, or is rude about someone, or nasty about a certain set of people? It's one thing to directly incite violence, and another to say something mean which others find hateful, and we quickly get onto shaky territory where the free exchange of ideas is under threat.

 

[Kirran]

It's not really that serious for me, I was just using it as a sort of irony given that I support Wilders' right to say what he said.

Not that serious? So like you're semi-serious about being partly Moroccan? You know how to keep someone wondering

 

[Rival]

@Kirran, sorry I read your post wrong. Yes I am really part Moroccan.

 

[Kirran]

@Kirran, sorry I read your post wrong. Yes I am really part Moroccan.

Well well. There we go then.

I am part Chilean, but nobody ever bad mouths the Chileans. In this part of the world, anyway.

 

[YmirGF]

@Kirran, sorry I read your post wrong. Yes I am really part Moroccan.

Hehe. I'm part human!

 

[Rival]

Hehe. I'm part human!

Just part? That explains it.

 

[Kirran]

Hehe. I'm part human!

I dread to think what the other part is, and how it got there.

 

[MD]

Well well. There we go then.

I am part Chilean, but nobody ever bad mouths the Chileans. In this part of the world, anyway.

I've met many South Americans who deeply dislike Chile, it's like the Pakistan of South American

 

[Kirran]

I've met many South Americans who deeply dislike Chile, it's like the Pakistan of South American

Without the sponsoring of terrorism, thankyou very much. Yeah, it's the deal in South America, a lot of Chileans have prejudice against Bolivians, Peruvians and Argentinians, and its reciprocated. There's a lot of Bolivian and Peruvian immigration to Chile actually. And Argentinean, but less so because they're at similar economic statuses.

My father was actually born in Argentina, to a Chilean father, but didn't spend much time there - grew up in Ecuador, Ethiopia and the UK.

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

Geert Wilders is another example of how the Left is losing touch with reality.

Some cultures are incompatible, and when those incompatibilities aren't addressed you have the rise of other personalities.

As someone who's half Middle Eastern, with Middle Eastern features and a Muslim sounding name I don't blame the Dutch for choosing a politician who defends their culture vs protecting one that is alien to Europe. I would think that Islam is much more compatible with American culture than with European.

Either the Left addresses the issues Europe has with Islam, or except Le Pen, Wilders and more Right wing leaders to come to power.

Wilders isn't talking about Muslims here though. He's talking about Moroccans - a nationality - and wants them removed from the Netherlands. That's racism. Here in the UK the man who murdered the late MP Jo Cox was sentenced earlier this week. The rhetoric and beliefs he espouses is strikingly similar to that spouted off by Geert et al - 'get the foreigners out'. Far-right individuals like Britain First members, American neo-Nazis and Wilders may not have literally given this man the gun he used but their rhetoric gave him the motivation to pull the trigger. They need to suffer for that. The entire far-right needs to suffer for that.

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

Prosecuted for what? Mean words? Whatever happened to free speech?

Prosecuted for inciting racism against a nationality. That's a crime. What happened to recognising that 'free speech' only means 'say literally whatever you want' in the USA? The Netherlands is not the USA. Incidentally, that's one of the reasons America still has such a huge problem with racism & xenophobia - because those sentiments aren't pushed to the fringes where they belong; they're normalised and allowed to exist in mainstream discourse.

 

[Sultan Of Swing]

Wilders isn't talking about Muslims here though. He's talking about Moroccans - a nationality - and wants them removed from the Netherlands. That's racism. Here in the UK the man who murdered the late MP Jo Cox was sentenced earlier this week. The rhetoric and beliefs he espouses is strikingly similar to that spouted off by Geert et al - 'get the foreigners out'. Far-right individuals like Britain First members, American neo-Nazis and Wilders may not have literally given this man the gun he used but their rhetoric gave him the motivation to pull the trigger. They need to suffer for that. The entire far-right needs to suffer for that.

The answer isn't removing a foundation of free society.

 

[Sultan Of Swing]

Prosecuted for inciting racism against a nationality. That's a crime. What happened to recognising that 'free speech' only means 'say literally whatever you want' in the USA? The Netherlands is not the USA. Incidentally, that's one of the reasons America still has such a huge problem with racism & xenophobia - because those sentiments aren't pushed to the fringes where they belong; they're normalised and allowed to exist in mainstream discourse.

Inciting racism? In what way? You can argue what he said was racist, but why should a racist idea be banned or suppressed? Unless it's directly inciting violence we should not be suppressing and banning anyone's views from being expressed.