After being acquitted on five criminal charges of hate speech against Muslims, Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders told reporters: "This is not so much a win for myself, but a victory for freedom of speech." While Wilders was understandably happy and relieved he is not going to be spending the next 16 months behind bars, the significance of his June 22 victory seems overstated.
[Wilders, an outspoken conservative leader in The Netherlands, was charged in January 2009 with inciting hatred and discrimination based on statements he made about Islam in speeches, in articles, on the Internet, and in his controversial 2008 film, "Fitna," which mixed verses from the Quran, Islam's holy book, with video footage of extremist attacks.]
The Wilders case demonstrates the continued willingness of authorities in Europe's most liberal countries to regulate the content of speech on Islam in order to placate Muslim blasphemy demands. Wilders' acquittal does not change that.
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