Prosecutors summing up case in Wilders hate speech trial
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dutch prosecutors have begun summing up their case against populist anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders in his hate-speech trial that pits freedom of expression against the Netherlands' anti-discrimination laws.
Prosecutor Wouter Bos stressed Wednesday that the decision to put the popular but controversial Wilders on trial for anti-Moroccan statements in 2014 was driven by the law and not personal opinions.
Bos says the decision "is based on a thorough analysis of the law, the specific circumstances of this case and the use of all the expertise of the prosecutor's office. Nothing more, nothing less."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Wilders, whose Freedom Party is riding high in opinion polls ahead of parliamentary elections in March, is refusing to attend the trial, labelling it a political witch hunt.