Dutch judges find Geert Wilders guilty of hate crime

Dutch judges have found the far-right leader of the Freedom Party (PVV), Geert Wilders, guilty of racial discrimination against people of Moroccan origin in the Netherlands, but levied no punishment against him.

Judge Hendrik Steenhuis, who presided the three-judge panel ruling on the case, said on Friday, "No one is above the law."

No one, not even a politician, is allowed to "cross the line" without facing the legal repercussions of their transgression, Steenhuis said. "A crime cannot be protected by the right to free speech."

The judge also said, "If a politician crosses the line, that doesn't mean free speech is being restricted."

Wilder had planned the inflammatory remarks beforehand and insulted the entire group of people of Moroccan origin in the Netherlands, he said.

The judges found Wilders guilty of discrimination against Moroccans, but cited no prison sentence or fine in the ruling, saying the conviction itself was the punishment.

The lawsuit against the outspoken anti-Muslim lawmaker stemmed from a 2014 campaign rally, when he led a group of supporters to chant that they wanted "Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!" Moroccans living in the Netherlands. A smiling Wilders replied to the chanting crowd by pledging to "take care of that."

Moroccan-Dutch people make up two percent of the Netherlands' population.

Moroccan-Dutch organizations said the court ruling was a positive development because it clarified the scope of free speech in the country.

SS