Trial against right-wing Dutch politician starts without the accused

The substantive hearings in the trial against Dutch right wing populist party leader Geert Wilders, prosecuted for insulting Moroccans based on race and inciting discrimination and hatred, began in Badhoevedorp, the Netherlands, in the absence of the accused, on Monday.

Wilders himself was absent in court, because the Party of Freedom (PVV) leader said the trial is a political process and therefore he refused to come. "Political views should be discussed in the parliament and not in court," he explained.

On the first day of the trial the judge showed the clips of the remarks he made on March 12 and March 19, 2014 in The Hague.

The leader of the PVV made anti-Islam remarks many times, but in an interview with national broadcaster NOS during the municipal elections campaign on Match 12 he specifically pointed at Dutch citizens of Moroccan descent.

The legal fight between the defense team of Wilders and the prosecution will focus on whether Wilders made his remarks in a particular context.

The prosecution accused Wilders of insulting an entire population and incitement to hatred and discrimination.

Wilders' lawyer Geert-Jan Knoops will try to convince the judges that his client referred to a particular group of Moroccans.

The sessions will take three weeks, including some interruptions, and the verdict is scheduled for Dec. 9.

Wilders could be imprisoned, but it is more likely that he will get a fine or obliged community service as a conviction.

This is not the first time a Wilders case appears in court. In June 2011 he was acquitted of inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims, Moroccans, and non-Western immigrants.

Whatever the outcome will be this time, the verdict of the judges is expected to transcend the Wilders case, because the legal process is also about the question of how far politicians can go with their statements. Endit