As most of you already know, Geert Wilders is currently on trial in the Netherlands for “hate speech”. The case against him (and the near-certainty of a conviction) is a farrago of justice. Calling it a kangaroo court actually insults the marsupial community.

Our Dutch correspondent H. Numan has the latest on the Wilders trial.

Geert Wilders may be docked €5,000

by H. Numan

Thursday 17 November was a day that won’t live in infamy. Why? Because hardly a soul know what happened, nor will they ever. The media blockade of the current Wilders trial is almost total. Yes, they do report about it. In as miserly a fashion as they can get away with. They report that the prosecutor presented his demand for a €5,000 fine. And that the maximum fine is €20,500. So the prosecutor could have demanded a lot more.

What you don’t hear about is really disturbing. If Wilders is convicted, anyone can be charged for whatever reason the politically correct establishment fancies at that particular moment. Today Moroccans are a race, tomorrow mohammedans, and next week anyone who doubts global warming.

Prosecutor Wouter Bos (no relation to the former PvdA leader) contorted the definition of ‘race’ to fit his needs. According to his very elaborate (190 pages) charge he came up with the construction that Moroccans are to be seen as a race. Therefore, he considers Wilders guilty of inciting racial hatred. His demand is a fine of €5,000. The next day, mr.* Knoops, the lawyer representing Geert Wilders made mincemeat of his charge.

A week earlier prof. Paul Cliteur was asked by the defense as a witness. I don’t know what prof. Paul Cliteur said because when he was giving his testimony it wasn’t on TV. Why? Apparently, they guy who had the key to the media box (with the transmission equipment) was too late. Something like that. Sorry folks, just a technical hiccup. These things happen. Especially when a prominent lawyer who is not a fan of Wilders is going to say why this trial is a political farce. The NPO broadcasts the whole trial live, but only the parts they like.

Paul Cliteur was the only person who dared to testify. More people were asked to testify, and they all declined. They fear for their jobs, positions, media and outright terrorism. Not from the mohammedans, but rather from left-wing activists. Having your car torched and your family harassed is the least they can expect.

That both prof. Cliteur and mr. Knoops made mincemeat of the proceeding is irrelevant. The court decides. That court is highly biased against Wilders. The chair of the court is mr. Elianne van Rens. She is the only judge in The Netherlands who openly and on TV supported the prosecution in the previous trial, and didn’t agree with the outcome. She was removed from an earlier trial, as she was too biased to judge. She, as well as the two other judges, are card-carrying members of D66. That party is by far the most outspoken and vocal against Wilders and the PVV. Mr. Knoops asked mr. Elianne to be removed from this trial, as she is very much biased against Wilders.

Especially after she clearly dismissed the testimony of Prof. Paul Cliteur. He is a professor of law, lecturing at Leiden University. He was asked by the defense to elaborate on the legal consequences of prosecuting Geert Wilders. During his testimony Mr. Elianne made it as obvious as possible that she didn’t agree with him at all. Which is a definite no-no for any judge in any court. The request was — of course — denied. After all, this is a political trial. Wilders must be convicted. No matter how flimsy the arguments are.

And flimsy it is, not to say ironic. With almost sadistic pleasure I notice that the most virulent anti racists have changed into the most revolting racists. There are no different human “races”. There is only one: the human race. No white, black, blue or whatever race. Racial theories are not scientific, but pseudo-scientific. Science established that fact long time ago. But now all of a sudden we do have a race: the Moroccan race. Why? Because Wilders must be convicted. I’m no scholar in law, but Mr. Bos made a beginner’s mistake: he uses nationality as if it were a race. That will only work in a kangaroo court, which this is. The argumentation is wafer thin. In a real court of law — this is not — a judge would have cautioned the prosecution not to continue on this line. For two reasons: first of all, a real judge does not want to be embarrassed like that, and second: it will almost certainly be rejected on appeal.

What worries me most of all is the silence around this trial. It’s the most important trial of this century. Why? Because freedom of speech is on trial, and it looks very much it’s going to lose. The €5,000 doesn’t worry me. Wilders can withdraw that easily from an ATM machine. He makes a lot more than that (well deserved!). It’s not the fine that matters. It’s the precedent. When Wilders is convicted, we have no longer freedom of speech. The Netherlands will then join the not-so-illustrious ranks of Cuba, North Korea and Zimbabwe.

Wilders himself doesn’t have to worry YET. He can pay that fine, and for the moment he can go. It’s the precedent that will do the dirty work on everybody else. Wilders can afford the very best lawyers of the country. If need be, appeal up the European court. Very few people have that luxury. You and I have to be very careful from now on. If Moroccans are a race, what about Turks? Surely they are a race too? What about mohammedans? That’s no longer a giant leap for mankind to make. A very small step for politically correct man, to be precise.

Which brings me to the media blackout. Yes, the trial is reported in the media. Widely. But distorted. The actual proceedings are reported, but not what the consequences will be of a conviction. There is a good reason why the media gloss that over. They are all, very few exempted, on the other side of the fence. Yes, there isn’t much difference between North Korea on the Yellow Sea and North Korea on the North Sea. There are no politically independent TV stations. None. Either they belong to the NPO (= Nederlandse Publieke Omroep or Dutch Public Broadcasting Organization). This is a merger between the government broadcasting organization NOS and all previous non-profit organizations. On the other side are a few commercial broadcasters, which produce exactly the same bull.

One would expect a massive outcry, for freedom of speech is a cornerstone of independent journalism. But… as you can see, there isn’t any. So why don’t they report it? Because their bread is buttered on the other side. The government, or the establishment if you like, pays them generously to be politically correct. Journalism as we know it is dying. It’s a dead-end job. The Internet is taking over. A few people, amongst others Gates of Vienna, make a living presenting the news as it really is. They don’t make much money. On the other side are professional journalists, who enjoy high status, much attention and well-paid jobs. Provided they publish what is desired. Dutch journalists, almost to a man, willingly comply. I nowadays search the Internet, Facebook and other websites first. Not the Dutch media. There isn’t official censorship — yet — but all willingly self-censor the news as is expected of them.

You won’t hear anything about Wilders, or the bare bones minimum at best. It would be too obvious not to publish anything at all about that trial. Not a peep about heightened security at German Christmas fairs. You can only read that in German newspapers. Not a word about mohammedans running amok. It’s either not reported (most often), or committed by a Dutch national. Two girls of 16 ran away to Benidorm in Spain last Sunday. Widely reported. They have been found safe and sound. Widely reported. In the company of a 34-year-old Dutch national. Not so widely reported. Who holds dual nationality: Dutch and Moroccan. Who is a pimp. With a criminal record. Not reported at all. A chap attacks passengers in a train with a knife shouting allahu akbar. The Dutch media reported: a disturbed man caused some problems in a train. Nothing more than that. It was in the news for a day, into oblivion the next. That’s the Dutch media today. From high-quality newspapers only (we never had gossip dailies) to no quality at all in a few short years.

Back to the Wilders trial. Tomorrow Wilders will be in court to say his last word. I assume the NPO will find some excuse not to broadcast it. Or to distort it. They are very good at that. No matter what, there will be only one winner: Geert Wilders.

The media are all against him and the PVV, but the people support him. The PVV party is on the rise again, from 28 virtual seats to 30 this week, making it the biggest party in Dutch politics. He may be in the dock, but he is the only politician without a blemish. In fact, many people who normally wouldn’t vote for the PVV will do so now, simply because they feel utterly embarrassed by this kangaroo court.

Mark Rutte, the current PM and leader of the VVD (conservatives) is no longer believed. He made too many promises and broke them all. For him, the worst is yet to come. Whether he likes it or not, he must decide on the referendum. If he rejects it, the VVD might as well close down. If he accepts it, he will never get a nice comfy job in Brussels. The opposition won’t let him postpone it until after the elections.

The Labor Party is dying. Literally. They currently poll 10 virtual seats, and face a serious leadership crisis. The party brass is playing Game of Thrones live. No matter who wins, the party will lose. Massively. You can’t enter the elections having hissy fits right before them and expect no consequences. Apart from that leadership crisis, the PvdA worked together with the VVD. Something the electorate of both parties never wanted. The VVD is somewhat better off, but Labor will have to pay a huge price for it.

All other parties are either me-too parties (we are also against Wilders, please vote for us!) or too small to have any influence. D66 used to be the de facto leader of the opposition. Their leader announced he wants to become PM, or at least form part of the government, otherwise he’ll resign. I sincerely hope Pechtold has some hobbies, for he’ll soon need them…

I don’t know what the court will decide. But I can see only four scenarios:

1.		They drop all charges.
		Unlikely, as everyone will ask: Why bother with this farce at all?
2.		They sentence him to a fine of €49.50 so he can’t appeal.
		That would be even worse. What, you lack a pair of b***s to see it through?
3.		They sentence him to a fine of €2,500-€5,000.
		Won’t impress Wilders the slightest. It’s relatively the best way out of this quagmire of their own making, and I think this is what the court will go for.
4.		They sentence him to € 20,500 + prison.
		We have a new saint, to replace our beloved politically correct Saint Nelson. His name is Saint Geert. Both were politically prosecuted, but Geert has no blood on his hands.

There aren’t any other options. Democracy will suffer, for this is a political trial that reflects very badly on all other parties. The media will suffer, for they have chosen the wrong side. Our legal system will suffer; it isn’t much better than that of Zimbabwe. Even the police will suffer, as they worked as quislings towards that conviction.

The only bright side of this charade is that you have to pierce the boil eventually. The Dutch do that on the 15th of March. There is only one party that is absolutely certain of victory: the PVV. Even if they lose, they win. Currently they hold 13 seats in parliament. Rest assured if the PVV gets anything below 25 seats, the media will call that a massive PVV defeat. I think doubling your party’s numbers is not exactly a defeat. It’s much more likely they will win massively. At this moment, I’m thinking well above 30 seats. Don’t be surprised if the Wilders trial hands Geert above 40 seats.

Yes, lots of people don’t like his ‘less, less, less’ statement. But they feel revolted by the farce that was willingly and intentionally created to muffle him. All those people can vote, and for the time being, in secret. People who would normally not vote for the PVV will do that now, if only as a voice of protest.

Dutch politics is very complicated, but rest assured: if the PVV wins more than 30 seats, it is almost impossible to prevent Geert Wilders becoming the next premier. His job will be cleaning out the Augean stable. I admire, but don’t envy him.

— H. Numan

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mr. (lower case) is the Dutch abbreviation of meester, used to refer to lawyers and notaries.