just letting you know about your brethren and his legal problems. On Thursday, October 9, 2014 9:44:48 AM UTC-5, KeithInTampa wrote: > > Not an American concern? Why are you posting this? > > > > On Thu, Oct 9, 2014 at 9:58 AM, plainolamerican <[email protected] > <javascript:>> wrote: > >> By Thomas Escritt >> >> AMSTERDAM, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Dutch authorities moved closer toward >> prosecuting far-right politician Geert Wilders on Thursday, naming him as a >> suspect and summoning him for interrogation over alleged racist remarks he >> made in March. >> >> Wilders will be questioned on suspicion of insulting a group on the basis >> of race and inciting discrimination and hatred, prosecutors said in a >> statement. If convicted, he could face up to a year in prison or a fine of >> up to 7,400 euros ($9,400). >> >> Wilders, whose controversial brand of anti-immigration, anti-Muslim >> populism has propelled his Freedom Party to second place in opinion polls, >> provoked widespread condemnation when he called for "fewer Moroccans" at a >> campaign rally in March. >> >> Interrogating a suspect is the final step in the process of bringing >> charges, prosecutors said. A spokeswoman stressed no decision had yet been >> taken about charging Wilders but said there was a "significant chance" he >> would end up in court. >> >> "I'm furious ... that I am being investigated by prosecutors and will >> probably end up in court," Wilders told journalists in parliament after >> learning of the summons. >> >> Prosecutors received over 6,400 complaints and several of his party's >> most prominent lawmakers resigned from the party after Wilders asked >> supporters at a rally in The Hague if they wanted "more or fewer Moroccans >> in this city?" >> >> The crowd chanted: "Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!" Wilders smiled and responded: >> "We'll take care of that." >> >> In a later interview with broadcaster RTL Z, he said "Moroccan scum" >> should leave the Netherlands. Moroccans were over-represented in crime >> statistics and in the number of people receiving social benefits, he argued. >> >> Wilders, who has lived for many years under 24-hour police protection >> after receiving death threats because of an anti-Islamic film he made, >> called the decision to interrogate him "incomprehensible". >> >> "I'm combative and angry. I said what millions of people feel," he told >> reporters. "It's a scandal that when the world is in flames, prosecutors >> choose to focus on a lawmaker who points out problems." >> >> Prosecutors should focus on the phenomenon of Dutch citizens going to >> fight in Syria, "more than three quarters of whom are Moroccans," he added. >> >> Wilders has a history of statements that upset Muslims and Eastern >> European migrant workers. >> >> He was prosecuted for hate crimes and discrimination in 2007 for calling >> Islam a fascist ideology but acquitted four years later when a judge ruled >> that criticising a religion was not the same as racism. >> >> "This time the remarks were directly aimed at a certain population group >> - all Moroccans are put in the same box," said prosecution spokeswoman >> Nicolette Stoel. >> >> The Netherlands, which long prided itself on its liberalism, admitted >> millions of immigrant workers from Morocco and Turkey to fill jobs in an >> expanding economy after World War Two. >> >> But attitudes have hardened as growth has slowed and jobs have become >> scarce, propelling a string of anti-immigration politicians to the top of >> opinion polls over the past decade. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing >> by Tom Heneghan) >> >> -- >> -- >> Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. >> For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum >> >> * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ >> * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. >> * Read the latest breaking news, and more. >> >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "PoliticalForum" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected] <javascript:>. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > >
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