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I apologize for my recent absence from this blog. I will soon write very extensively on the Geert Wilders trial. Here is a preview from an essay I recently wrote:

The consequences of violating the sacraments of political correctness (PC) are direr in Philistine societies that have not adopted freedom of speech. When Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders produced a 15 minute web film denouncing radical Islam, the Dutch “Openbaar Minsisterie” (“justice” department) indicted him for “hate speech.” He now faces over a year in prison if convicted.

Even worse for Wilders, he is not allowed to use “truth” as a defense. When he tried to call witnesses that would corroborate his views, the court refused, offering a chilling statement: “It is irrelevant whether Wilders’s witnesses might prove Wilders’s observations to be correct; what’s relevant is that his observations are illegal.” In other words, not only does Wilders not have the right to free expression, but he also lacks the right to defend himself in court.

Despite his “illegal observation,” Wilders will not roll over but is instead using his trial to shed light on Islamist terrorism and its attempts to suppress free speech in Europe and beyond. While most normal people would bow and ask for the court’s mercy, Wilders is defiant and ready to be a martyr in the war against PC.

Even though society has shown itself willing to stand up to PC when it gets out of hand, PC cannot be defeated unless our societal values themselves change. PC only holds water because we as a society decide it is a value we cannot do without.

Geert Wilders, a right-wing member of the Dutch Parliament, is now on trial in the Netherlands for a controversial film that juxtaposed Koranic quotes and images of Islamist terrorist violence. While the video’s content is undoubtedly controversial, the content of which can be found here, the fact that he potentially faces a 15-month prison sentence is even more so. Wilders has become increasingly popular despite his persecution as he has been willing to stand up to the increasing Islamism in the Netherlands and Europe as a whole.

As his trial opened, Wilders offered his opening statement, where he stressed the importance of liberty in society. Here are a few excerpts, but the entire speech can be found here.

“Our freedom in this country is the fruit of centuries. It is the result of a history that has no equal and has brought us to where we are today. I believe with all my heart and soul that the freedom is threatened in the Netherlands. That heritage, which generations could only dream of, is precisely this freedom which is no longer a given fact, no longer a matter self-evidence.”

“In this trial it of course is about the freedom of expression. But in this trial it is certainly also about finding the truth. The statements I have made, the comparisons I have drawn — are they true? As mentioned in the summons? Because if something is true, how can it be illegal?”