The Intercept: Conviction for Racist Speech Could Help Make Geert Wilders Dutch Prime Minister

Will Truman

Will Truman is the Editor-in-Chief of Ordinary Times. He is also on Twitter.

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6 Responses

  1. Dark Matter says:

    Wilders appears to have benefitted from the trial. His Party for Freedom, known by the Dutch acronym PVV, currently leads in polls ahead of a general election in March, thanks in part to a surge in support during his trial.

    :Sigh: Yes, any publicity is good, and any public attempt by “the man” to shut you down lets you capture the protest vote.Report

  2. Jaybird says:

    Netherlands election: 15 March 2017
    French election: 23 April 2017

    The main thing that I think is going to protect us is that Europe, once again, will explode before we can.Report

  3. LeeEsq says:

    Hate speech is an incredibly hard concept to define. There is a lot of obvious hate speech filled with racial slurs. Sometimes distinguishing between vigorous out group criticism and hate speech is not easy. Jews are probably going to find anti-Semitism in a lot of criticism of Israel that non-Jews are going to see as legitimate criticism. Even ostensibly anti-Zionist Jews can find some of the more vigorous criticism of Israel disturbing. Muslims are likely to see Wilders speech as racist rather than vigorous out-group criticism.

    If hate speech is going to be a useful topic than their needs to be a way to to distinguish vigorous outside group criticism and hate speech on more than a case by case basis. Calling any outside group criticism racist or hateful doesn’t seem to be that useful.Report