The Dutch anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders says he will refuse to attend his trial next week on charges of inciting racial hatred, dubbing the hearing “a travesty”. “It is a travesty that I have to stand trial because I spoke about fewer Moroccans,” Wilders said on Friday. “Millions of Dutch citizens – 43% of the population – want fewer Moroccans,” he claimed. “Not because they despise all Moroccans or want all Moroccans out of the country, but because they are sick and tired of the nuisance and terror caused by so many Moroccans. Wilders said Rutte and other politicians who had expressed strong views on Dutch citizens with foreign roots were not being prosecuted – “Rightly so.” But people want to “have me silenced by the court”, he added, vowing to continue to speak his mind.

Source: The Guardian October 28, 2016 08:26 UTC