Right wing politician Geert Wilders opposes the rights of Muslims, but he has now posed himself as a champion of the right of free speech. He has hired a top notch lawyer, Brian Moszkowicz, to defend him before the nation’s higher judicial body in an attempt to squash an attempt by the Amsterdam appeals court that he be tried for insulting Mulsims and describing the Koran as “the Islamic Mein Kampf.” Wilders argues he has the right to say anything he desires either inside or outside of Parliament and this attempt to place him on trial is a blow to those who seek to speak things not desired by the majority. Actually, the Amsterdam appeals court ignored a decision by the public prosecutor who refused to take legal action against the Dutch member of Parliament.
It is unclear as to whether the Dutch high court will intervene in this case. The major mistake made in this situation was the decision of the Amsterdam appeals court to intervene and try placing Wilders on trial. A trial is actually what he desires since it would present him with a public platform to pose as a defender of free speech. Free speech means those we oppose have a right to shout anything they desire as long as they do not pose a direct threat to the safety of others by their words. Wilders should be encouraged to rant on about his hatred of Muslims. All he does is make even those not sympathetic to Muslims to rush to their defense.
