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Wilders' lawyer claims judges "not impartial": trial adjourned

Mar 14, 2011, 11:32 GMT

Amsterdam - Geert Wilders' trial on charges of hate speech has been adjourned after the lawyer of the Dutch anti-Islamist politician, Bram Moszkowicz, questioned the partiality of its judges, Dutch public radio NOS reported Monday.

Wilders is facing a second trial over allegations that he incited hatred of Muslims.

A previous trial on the same charges collapsed in October after a judicial review found the judges to be biased.

The latest trial has been adjourned to Wednesday to allow the court to consider the lawyer's claim, NOS radio reported.

The head of the populist Party for Freedom (PVV) is accused of discrimination and incitement. The charges are based on interviews he gave in which he described Islam as a fascist ideology and compared the Koran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.

Detractors have also pointed to his movie, Fitna, in which he juxtaposed images of the Koran with the 2001 terror attacks on New York.

Bram Moszkowicz argues that the defendant's controversial remarks on Islam were legitimate under Dutch laws governing freedom of speech.

Wilders' party backs the current minority government of Christian Democrats and Liberals.

In return for his support, the coalition partners have promised to introduce steps to reduce the number of Muslim and non-Western immigrants in the Netherlands by 50 per cent.

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