A report on the Wilders trial from Evelyn Markus in the Netherlands (thanks to Pamela):
Geert wants to bring in 17 witnesses, from Holland, UK, Israel, and US, among them Wafa Sultan, Robert Spencer…, Afshin Ellian, Arabist Hans Jansen, Sheikh Al-Qaradawi (who put a fatwa on Wafa), Mohammed Bouyeri (who killed Theo van Gogh) and imam Fawaz from Holland, who put a fatwa on Ayaan. The public prosecutors asked the judges to downsize the list and to skip Mohammed Bouyeri and some others.
The public prosecutors only want to bring in Geert Wilders as their witness, to which Geert’s lawyer objected. Geert wants to make a statement in court, but doesn’t want to be interviewed by the public prosecutors. He has the right to keep silent when they interview him.
The session has just ended. At the end of the session the judges gave Geert the opportunity for closing remarks. Geert spoke from the bottom of his heart and passionately asked the court to defend freedom in the Netherlands. He also stated: if expressions reflect the truth, how could they be criminal? So I ask this court to allow me to bring all my witnesses, so I will have the chance to prove I speak the truth in my expressions [about Islam].
The judges will get back with their decision on the number of witnesses, the timetable and the exact location of the trial in a public session on February 3.
A large crowd gathered outside the courthouse to support Wilders:
This checklist is no parody
Geert Akbar