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 doesn’t mean that the trial has stopped — 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 — in theory — 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 sé. […] Wilders not guilty on all counts – Update
Trifkovic: Wilders’ frifindelse en Pyrrhussejr som bør efterprøves
[…] 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 – and convicted – 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 Comrades’ 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 Holland’s and other European countries’ ridiculous “hate” laws remain on the statute books, the threat of prosecution hangs above everyone’s head – and no conviction is required to make people think twice about expressing themselves frankly and meaningfully about “prophet” Muhammad’s 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 genindførelse af diskriminerende beføjelser til politiet
Dilemmaet er ubestrideligt: Sagesløse mennesker vil blive udsat for ydmygende mistænkeliggørelse, og der vil formentlig komme episoder hvor visitation af uskyldige eskalerer til regulære optøjer. Dette skal så holdes op imod det meningsløse ressourcespild der i f. eks. lufthavne har ført til at ældre kvinder har fået deres kørestol skilt ad og undersøgt, et ressourcespild der i sidste ende kan få fatale følger. Hvorfor kan terrorister ikke bare have horn i panden så 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 ‘Sus laws’ 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: ‘Stopping and searching individuals without suspicion is divisive enough without telling police they can directly discriminate on the grounds of race.
‘Significant progress has been made since the Lawrence Inquiry but the Home Office’s planned changes will set the clock back and jeopardise race relations in the UK.’ […] 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 pågældende officer var i ledtog med Nidal Malik Hasan er det umuligt at forestille sig anden grund til ødelæggelse af bevismateriale end at officeren instinktivt fornemmede optagelsens politiske sprængfarlighed. Havde optagelsen været i omløb i dag ville det efterfølgende spin, der ikke overraskende førte til en rapport der udelukkede islam som den motiverende faktor for Hasans forbrydelse, have været vanskeliggjort eller endda umuliggjort. At denne illusion er vigtigere end menneskeliv under det herskende paradigme, blev da også 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 — 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!” — “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 måske nok gør ondt her og nu …
Nu er Frankrig nok kendt som Europas mest demonstrationsivrige og forandringsmodvillige land, men den hypotetiske overskrift ville være lige så absurd i alle lande. Jeg vil påstå at man kan udlede meget om fremtiden af det forhold at end ikke truslen fra finanskrise og ældrebyrde kan få en mindre justering af pensionsalderen til at glide igennem. Et flertal af vælgere vil altid handle reaktivt og kortsigtet, og når en tilbagerulning til en pensionsalder der var en selvfølge for få årtier 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 længere (LFPC).
Op mod 400.000 mennesker deltager i protestoptog i Paris og andre fransk storbyer i en fortsat kampagne mod omstridt pensionsreform.
Franske lønmodtagere er lørdag på gaderne i en række storbyer for at demonstrere mod regeringens plan om at hæve minimumalderen for at gå på pension. […]
Fagforeningernes strategi er at iværksætte strejke på hverdage og massedemonstrationer i alle weekender, indtil regeringen opgiver reformen, som gradvist vil hæve 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 StockholmPå spårvagnar och i vykortsställ möts göteborgare just nu av budskapet Nej till rasism.– Det här var en kampanj som det var lätt att säga ja till, säger Hans Damerau, kyrkoherde i Carl Johans.
Kampanjen var lätt att säga ja till, tycker han, eftersom grundintentionen i Bibeln och den kristna tron är gemenskap över alla gränser.Rasism är inte tillämpbart i Guds rike, säger han. Guds rike spränger alla gränser. Han pekar också på att det finns flera exempel i Bibeln där personer med annan nationalitet kommer in och får stor betydelse. Rut var till exempel från Israels grannland, men följde sin svärmor till Israel och blev så småningom farmors mor till kung David.Nej till rasism, Svenska kyrkan säger nej till rasism.Där finns inte plats för främlingsfientlighet.
Med kulturen og global historieskrivning mod Sverigedemokraterne
Fyra statliga museer kommer att få en direkt instruktion från regeringen om att börja arbeta för större tolerans i samhället. Det gäller Världskulturmuseet i Göteborg samt Etnografiska museet, Östasiatiska museet och Medelhavsmuseet i Stockholm som alla hör till samma myndighet.
“Det är nu angeläget att göra ytterligare insatser för att öka förståelsen för värdet av ett öppet och demokratiskt samhälle som präglas av kulturell mångfald. Regeringen avser därför att ytterligare förtydliga Statens museer för världskulturs uppdrag och roll i detta avseende”, skriver regeringen i dagens budgetproposition.På SvD:s fråga om detta är en reaktion på Sverigedemokraternas framgångar, svarar kulturminister Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth:Det är uppenbart för alla att diskussionerna om främlingsrädsla gör det viktigare att arbeta för mänskliga rättigheter, respekt, människors lika värde samt demokrativärden.
–Eftersom detta är en av det svenska samhällets största utmaningar, blir det en prioritet för alla våra museer. Nationalismen växer världen över, också i Skandinavien, och utvecklingen är ett hot mot ett mångfacetterat samhälle, säger Sanne Houby-Nielsen som understryker behovet av global historieskrivning.Specialinsats för ökad tolerans.





