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Rabat – The Dutch supreme court upheld, on Tuesday, July 6, Geert Wilders’s conviction for insulting Moroccans back in 2014.
Wilders, an islamophobic populist, was convicted of discrimination and inciting hatred after he referred to the Moroccan community as “scum” at a campaign rally.
In 2016, The Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV) leader was convicted and challenged the court’s judgement, arguing the case was politically motivated, and Moroccans should not be classified as a “race”, while stating that the lawsuit restricted his freedom of speech.
The Dutch supreme court said that the speech at the rally is not covered by freedom of expression, and politicians too must abide by national laws against hate speech.
The high court’s decision cannot be appealed. Wilders received no fine or jail time.
An outcome Wilders expected, having stated ahead of the ruling “Whatever the verdict – acquittal or conviction – it will de facto change nothing.”
The conviction will not affect the islamophobic politician’s tenure as a parliament member, nor does it prevent him from securing a ministerial office in the future.
Geert Wilders is the poster child for right-wing ideology in the Netherlands. Some international observers dubbed him “the Dutch Donald Trump.”
His party discussed proposing laws banning the Quran, shutting down mosques, taxing women wearing the hijab, denying access to Dutch territory for Muslims, and pulling out of the European Union.
Back in 2015, while in the midst of proceeding for the aforementioned case, Wilders stated that “all the values Europe stands for- freedom, democracy, human rights- are incompatible with Islam.”
The Netherlands prides itself on being a tolerant and accepting country. Most would attest that Wilders’ comments are incompatible with Dutch values. But the politician disagrees.
He argues that liberal democracy is inherently incompatible with Islam.
On many occasions, the politician assured the media and his constituency that his nativism, nationalism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia are the only way Dutch people can “preserve” their identity as a nation.
The Dutch elections held in March 2021 resulted in the PVV securing 17 seats in parliament, controlling close to 11% of the legislative body. Geert Wilders is the fourth-longest-serving Dutch parliamentarian, and his party’s Euroscepticism, islamophobic, and nationalist ideals are growing in popularity, even beyond Dutch borders.
Many analysts monitoring the political scene have been vocal about the rise of Europe’s radical right movements. Wilders and his party are a prime example of this shift in western ideology.
