Let him go
The prosecutors of Geert Wilders never wanted to prosecute him. They thought his remarks were not brazen enough and that he is too well funded, too powerful. They were dragged along kicking and screaming. The judges of the Amsterdam court had to ORDER the prosecutors Paul Velleman and Birgit van Roessel to prosecute Mr. Wilders. Now they have defied the judges and recommended dropping all charges, which they had gathered from the plaintiffs.
The judges have the last word
It were the judges of the Amsterdam Court who want to put him on trial. And they can still punish him for what he said about Muslims and Islam. They will need a lot of spine, though. With top level support for the trial from the eminence grise Hirsch Ballin gone just a few days ago, the judges will be instructed by the new Minister of Justice right-liberal, Mr. Ivo Opstelten. Mr. Opstelten was oppointed yesterday. He was the formateur who put the new Rutte government together. This government relies on support from Geert Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV).
Old friends
Mr. Wilders formerly belonged to the same party as Mr. Opstelten, te right-liberal VVD. Mr. Opstelten was formerly mayor of Utrecht, in the 1990ies. In this function he got to know Geert Wilders well, who was a member of the Utrecht municipal council or gemeenteraadslid learning the ropes of practical politics under the eyes of Mr. Opstelten.
We do not know what will happen, what the verdict of the judges will be. But I would daresay that it is not looking too bad.This is important because a harsh verdict for Mr.Wilders will mean that political speech on immigration, multicultural society and Islam will be stifled for years to come. If the judges let Mr. Wilders go as well, the debate will continue.
For further insights in the Wilders trial I point to today's Kleinverzet blogpost.
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