In a surprising twist, the prosecution in the trial of Dutch MP Geert Wilders asked for complete acquittal today. With this, it strongly condemned the decision of a higher court to prosecute Wilders.
In a two-day long precise analysis of the remarks of Wilders, who had to stand trial for discrimination against Muslims and incitement to hatred, the prosecuting officers explained to the court that Wilders may have been insulting and provocative, but his words were within the limitations of Dutch law.
This doesnât mean that the trial has stopped â next week the defense will continue. The Dutch law system demands a full cycle of prosecution and defense, and will end with an extensive verdict.
Though â in theory â the court could still convict Wilders, it now seems almost impossible. […] BREAKING: Prosecutors of Dutch MP Geert Wilders Ask Court To Acquit on All Charges
The public prosecution department on Friday afternoon stated that Geert Wilders is not guilty of discriminating against Muslims. Earlier on Friday it announced he should also be found not guilty of inciting hatred.[…]
They said comments about banning the Koran can be discriminatory, but because Wilders wants to pursue a ban on democratic lines, there is no question of incitement to discrimination ‘as laid down in law’.
On the comparison of the Koran with Mein Kampf, the prosecutors said the comparison was ‘crude but that did not make it punishable’.
Dealing earlier on Friday with incitement to hatred, Van Roessel and Velleman said some comments could incite hatred against Muslims if taken out of context, but if the complete text is considered, it can be seen that Wilders is against the growing influence of Islam and not against Muslims per sĂ©. […] Wilders not guilty on all counts – Update
Trifkovic: Wilders’ frifindelse en Pyrrhussejr som bĂžr efterprĂžves
[…] A clear victory would have been for the Dutch state to declare that it was mistaken in pursuing a case of any kind against Wilders; but that would have meant the end of the Dutch state as we have known it for the past forty years.
In the event the oppressive laws are there to stay. Ordinary Dutch citizens, less visible than Wilders, can be maliciously prosecuted â and convicted â for saying the same things he has said, but with far less fuss. In the same manner some well known East European dissidents were relatively protected from the Comradesâ fury in the 1970s, but arbitrary and oppressive laws were then applied with an even greater ferocity against the anonymous multitudes.
For as long as Hollandâs and other European countriesâ ridiculous âhateâ laws remain on the statute books, the threat of prosecution hangs above everyoneâs head â and no conviction is required to make people think twice about expressing themselves frankly and meaningfully about âprophetâ Muhammadâs ideology of war and hatred.
I suspect that Wilders himself would have preferred a highly publicized trial and conviction, followed by an appeal that would test the constitutionality of the laws used against him. That is the kind of battle that requires courage, money, and media attention. He is the ideal man to give it one more try. Srdja Trifkovic: An Ambiguous Victory for Wilders
UK: Ramaskrig over genindfĂžrelse af diskriminerende befĂžjelser til politiet
Dilemmaet er ubestrideligt: SageslĂžse mennesker vil blive udsat for ydmygende mistĂŠnkeliggĂžrelse, og der vil formentlig komme episoder hvor visitation af uskyldige eskalerer til regulĂŠre optĂžjer. Dette skal sĂ„ holdes op imod det meningslĂžse ressourcespild der i f. eks. lufthavne har fĂžrt til at ĂŠldre kvinder har fĂ„et deres kĂžrestol skilt ad og undersĂžgt, et ressourcespild der i sidste ende kan fĂ„ fatale fĂžlger. Hvorfor kan terrorister ikke bare have horn i panden sĂ„ man kan skelne gode fra onde, og hvorfor indfinder den glade multikultur – tingenes naturlige tilstand – sig ikke bare af sig selv? (LFPC)
Police will soon be allowed to return to the days when they could stop and search people on the basis of their ethnic background. Last night the news threatened to ignite a huge row between the Government and civil liberties groups.
So-called âSus lawsâ were scrapped in the 1980s after the alleged targeting of black people by police led to race riots in London, Birmingham and Liverpool. […]
Isabella Sankey, director of policy for Liberty, said: âStopping and searching individuals without suspicion is divisive enough without telling police they can directly discriminate on the grounds of race.
âSignificant progress has been made since the Lawrence Inquiry but the Home Officeâs planned changes will set the clock back and jeopardise race relations in the UK.â […] Anger over return of ‘Sus’ laws that will let police target minorities
Fort Hood-massakren: Video med “Allahu Akbar” beordret slettet
Eftersom man formentlig uden videre kan udelukke at den pĂ„gĂŠldende officer var i ledtog med Nidal Malik Hasan er det umuligt at forestille sig anden grund til ĂždelĂŠggelse af bevismateriale end at officeren instinktivt fornemmede optagelsens politiske sprĂŠngfarlighed. Havde optagelsen vĂŠret i omlĂžb i dag ville det efterfĂžlgende spin, der ikke overraskende fĂžrte til en rapport der udelukkede islam som den motiverende faktor for Hasans forbrydelse, have vĂŠret vanskeliggjort eller endda umuliggjort. At denne illusion er vigtigere end menneskeliv under det herskende paradigme, blev da ogsĂ„ udtrykt uden blusel af George Casey, Chief of Staff of the Army, med ordene “Our diversity not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse”. Via Jihad Watch (LFPC).
[…] Sgt. Lamar Nixon testified Friday that after he escaped and ran into a nearby building, he and another soldier “bolted back out” and picked up a wounded comrade even though they still heard gunfire. […]
Nixon said he remembered Hasan because of “his stature and just how he composed himself â stoic.” The next time Nixon saw Hasan, it was after lunch when the psychiatrist stood from behind a front counter and began shooting after yelling “Allahu Akbar!” â “God is great!” in Arabic, Nixon testified.
Earlier Friday under cross examination, Pfc. Lance Aviles said he used his cell phone to record the rampage inside the processing center but was ordered by an officer to delete both videos later the same day. Aviles was not asked if he knew why the officer ordered the videos destroyed.
It’s unclear exactly what the footage showed, although it could have been used as evidence in the case. […] Witnesses say Fort Hood gunman kept firing outside
400.000 demonstrerer for indgreb der mĂ„ske nok gĂžr ondt her og nu …
Nu er Frankrig nok kendt som Europas mest demonstrationsivrige og forandringsmodvillige land, men den hypotetiske overskrift ville vÊre lige sÄ absurd i alle lande. Jeg vil pÄstÄ at man kan udlede meget om fremtiden af det forhold at end ikke truslen fra finanskrise og Êldrebyrde kan fÄ en mindre justering af pensionsalderen til at glide igennem. Et flertal af vÊlgere vil altid handle reaktivt og kortsigtet, og nÄr en tilbagerulning til en pensionsalder der var en selvfÞlge for fÄ Ärtier siden er for uudholdelig en tanke at kapere, siger det alt om hvordan langt alvorligere trusler fra parallelsamfund vil blive tacklet den dag de ikke kan ignoreres lÊngere (LFPC).
Op mod 400.000 mennesker deltager i protestoptog i Paris og andre fransk storbyer i en fortsat kampagne mod omstridt pensionsreform.
Franske lĂžnmodtagere er lĂžrdag pĂ„ gaderne i en rĂŠkke storbyer for at demonstrere mod regeringens plan om at hĂŠve minimumalderen for at gĂ„ pĂ„ pension. […]
Fagforeningernes strategi er at ivĂŠrksĂŠtte strejke pĂ„ hverdage og massedemonstrationer i alle weekender, indtil regeringen opgiver reformen, som gradvist vil hĂŠve pensionsalderen. […]400.000 demonstrerer i Frankrig
Med Gud mod Sverigedemokraterne
Svenska kyrkan i Göteborg deltar just nu i samma kampanj mot rasism som genomförs i StockholmPĂ„ spĂ„rvagnar och i vykortsstĂ€ll möts göteborgare just nu av budskapet Nej till rasism.â Det hĂ€r var en kampanj som det var lĂ€tt att sĂ€ga ja till, sĂ€ger Hans Damerau, kyrkoherde i Carl Johans.
Kampanjen var lÀtt att sÀga ja till, tycker han, eftersom grundintentionen i Bibeln och den kristna tron Àr gemenskap över alla grÀnser.Rasism Àr inte tillÀmpbart i Guds rike, sÀger han. Guds rike sprÀnger alla grÀnser. Han pekar ocksÄ pÄ att det finns flera exempel i Bibeln dÀr personer med annan nationalitet kommer in och fÄr stor betydelse. Rut var till exempel frÄn Israels grannland, men följde sin svÀrmor till Israel och blev sÄ smÄningom farmors mor till kung David.Nej till rasism, Svenska kyrkan sÀger nej till rasism.DÀr finns inte plats för frÀmlingsfientlighet.
Med kulturen og global historieskrivning mod Sverigedemokraterne
Fyra statliga museer kommer att fĂ„ en direkt instruktion frĂ„n regeringen om att börja arbeta för större tolerans i samhĂ€llet. Det gĂ€ller VĂ€rldskulturmuseet i Göteborg samt Etnografiska museet, Ăstasiatiska museet och Medelhavsmuseet i Stockholm som alla hör till samma myndighet.
“Det Ă€r nu angelĂ€get att göra ytterligare insatser för att öka förstĂ„elsen för vĂ€rdet av ett öppet och demokratiskt samhĂ€lle som prĂ€glas av kulturell mĂ„ngfald. Regeringen avser dĂ€rför att ytterligare förtydliga Statens museer för vĂ€rldskulturs uppdrag och roll i detta avseende”, skriver regeringen i dagens budgetproposition.PĂ„ SvD:s frĂ„ga om detta Ă€r en reaktion pĂ„ Sverigedemokraternas framgĂ„ngar, svarar kulturminister Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth:Det Ă€r uppenbart för alla att diskussionerna om frĂ€mlingsrĂ€dsla gör det viktigare att arbeta för mĂ€nskliga rĂ€ttigheter, respekt, mĂ€nniskors lika vĂ€rde samt demokrativĂ€rden.
âEftersom detta Ă€r en av det svenska samhĂ€llets största utmaningar, blir det en prioritet för alla vĂ„ra museer. Nationalismen vĂ€xer vĂ€rlden över, ocksĂ„ i Skandinavien, och utvecklingen Ă€r ett hot mot ett mĂ„ngfacetterat samhĂ€lle, sĂ€ger Sanne Houby-Nielsen som understryker behovet av global historieskrivning.Specialinsats för ökad tolerans.