The hate-speech trial of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders opened Monday, with Wilders notably absent from the proceedings.<\/p>\n
The Freedom Party leader known for his remarks against Islam said he’s boycotting the trial for alleged racial discrimination and inciting hatred \u2014 accusations tied to comments he made about Moroccans at a 2014 rally.<\/p>\n
“Prosecutors argued that Geert Wilders crossed a line when he asked supporters if they wanted ‘fewer or more Moroccans’ in the Netherlands,” the BBC reports<\/a>. “After supporters chanted back ‘fewer,’ he replied: ‘We’ll organise that.”<\/p>\n Wilders maintains he has done nothing wrong and that the trial is political. He announced that he would not be attending the proceedings in a video statement Thursday<\/a>, saying he would be represented by his lawyer.<\/p>\n “I refuse to cooperate. Political statements should be discussed in Parliament, not in court,” Wilders said, referring to himself as a “politician who says what the politically correct elite does not want to hear.”<\/p>\n He repeated his earlier inflammatory remarks: “It’s a travesty that I have to stand trial because I spoke about fewer Moroccans. It is my right and my duty as a politician to speak about the problems in our country \u2014 because the Netherlands have a huge problem with Moroccans.”<\/p>\n