AMSTERDAM (REUTERS) – Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders on Tuesday called for either an acquittal or a procedural delay in his appeal against a 2016 conviction for inciting discrimination against Moroccans.
“This trial has every appearance of being politically motivated. Stop the witch hunt!” he told judges at the Hague Appeals Court.
Wilders was convicted over a 2014 incident at a campaign rally when he asked supporters whether they wanted more or fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands.
When they chanted “Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!” he replied: “We’re going to take care of that.”
He was prosecuted after Dutch authorities received dozens of complaints from individuals and Muslim groups.
