Biased judge behind Wilders trial

We read:

"Defence lawyers sought Wednesday to discredit a judge who ordered Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders to face trial on charges of inciting hatred against Muslims. Wilders, leader of the country's third-largest political party, says he has done nothing wrong by expressing his opinions that Islam is a violent ideology comparable with fascism, and that the Qur’an should be banned.

Defence witness Hans Jansen, a retired professor of Arabic and Islamic studies, testified that he had been approached at a dinner by appeals judge Tom Schalken to discuss the Wilders case shortly before the trial was to start. Defence lawyers argue that contact was inappropriate and grounds for dismissing the hate speech case. Schalken sat on the panel that ordered Wilders' case to proceed, even after prosecutors had declined to press charges and a trial court had endorsed that decision.

"Do you think that he(Schalken) tried to influence your testimony?" defence lawyer Bram Moszkowicz asked Jansen. "Yes. I think he did," Jansen answered.

Schalken, testifying later, denied trying to influence Jansen or having committed any impropriety. He said he was surprised to learn that Jansen considered Wilders' prosecution a "witchhunt."

Schalken said he didn't think that Jansen understood the appeals panel's reasoning, so he tried to explain it to him "so he could form his viewpoint on the basis of the right foundation."

Judges are expected to rule on the motion for dismissal on Friday.

Source

The judge's ruling was clearly an activist, not a judicial one. The whole process is therefore tainted and should be halted.