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Netherlands trial: Geert Wilders guilty of incitement Netherlands trial: Geert Wilders guilty of incitement
(35 minutes later)
Dutch anti-Islam political leader Geert Wilders has been convicted of insulting a group and inciting discrimination.Dutch anti-Islam political leader Geert Wilders has been convicted of insulting a group and inciting discrimination.
But no penalty was imposed by the court near Amsterdam on Mr Wilders, whose party is leading in polls ahead of parliamentary elections in March. But no penalty was imposed by the court near Amsterdam on Wilders, whose party is leading in polls ahead of parliamentary elections in March.
Mr Wilders was acquitted of inciting hate when, in March 2014, he told supporters he would ensure there were fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands. Wilders was also acquitted of inciting hate over telling supporters in March 2014 he would ensure there were fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands.
He has vowed not to moderate his views and to continue speaking out. He called the verdict "madness" in a tweet posted a short time later.
He said he would appeal the conviction.
The judges described it as an "extraordinary case" because Wilders was the leader of a political party and had a duty not to polarise society.
They said the conviction was punishment enough and that there would be no jail sentence or fine, as the prosecution had requested.
The verdict follows a three-week trial triggered when police received 6,400 complaints about remarks Wilders made during a municipal election campaign in The Hague.
Wilders in the spotlight - Anna Holligan, BBC News, Schiphol
This guilty verdict will do little to damage Geert Wilders' political aspirations. The trial has given the populist leader the two things he needs - a platform to promote his political message and the media attention that fuels support for his party.
He used his court appearance to repeat warnings about the dangers of Islam and immigration. Many Dutch voters see this as reaffirming their belief - that Wilders is a courageous leader prepared to talk about the issues a politically correct elite is afraid to address.
They have been emboldened by populist victories in the UK and US. Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) is currently 10 percentage points ahead of the ruling liberal party in the polls.
At a campaign meeting, he asked supporters whether they wanted "fewer or more Moroccans in your city and in the Netherlands".
When the crowd shouted back "Fewer! Fewer!" a smiling Wilders responded: "We're going to take care of that."
At the trial, prosecutors took testimony from Dutch-Moroccans who said his comments made them feel like "third-rate citizens".
Wilders was previously prosecuted in 2011, over anti-Islam comments such as comparing the religion to Nazism and calling for a ban on the Koran. He was acquitted and the case was widely seen as giving the populist leader a publicity boost.