Dutch MP Wilders Acquitted in Hate Speech Trial

Dutch politician Geert Wilders was acquitted on charges of hate speech and discrimination on Thursday.

The trial of the right-wing Parliament member and leader of third-largest party in Parliament, centered around his provocative comments on Islam, including comments comparing the Quran with Hitler’s “Mein Kampf.”

The verdict didn’t come as a surprise, as even the prosecutors in the case had called for an acquittal.

According to the court, most of Wilders’s comments were aimed at Islam as a religion, not at Muslim people, and therefore were not punishable by law.

Wilders’s trial lasted almost two years. Some claimants are considering taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights, their lawyer told reporters.