Once again, we owe a deep gratitude to our Flemish correspondent VH and Vlad Tepes for their translating and subtitling, respectively.
The full transcript of Mr. Wilders’ speech is below the jump:
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| 00:00 | Mister Wilders, do you have something on paper that can, or may be given to the registrar later on? | |
| 00:10 | When I get it back. | |
| 00:12 | Then we will make a copy of it and hand the original back to you. | |
| 00:16 | Yes, thank you. | |
| 00:17 | Mr. President, members of the court, I would like to only use a few minutes of my right to speak. | |
| 00:26 | And I would like to begin by saying that of all our attainments, freedom is the most precious and most vulnerable. | |
| 00:36 | It is what people have dedicated their lives to and what people have given their lives for. | |
| 00:45 | Our freedom in this country is the fruit of centuries. | |
| 00:50 | It is the result of a history that has no equal and has brought us to where we are today. | |
| 00:59 | I believe with all my heart and soul that the freedom is threatened in the Netherlands. | |
| 01:06 | That heritage, which generations could only dream of… | |
| 01:12 | … is precisely this freedom which is no longer a given fact, no longer a matter self-evidence. | |
| 01:20 | I dedicate my life to defending our freedom. I know what the risks are and I every day again, pay the price for that. | |
| 01:31 | I do not complain about it; it is my own decision. I see it as my duty and therefore I am standing here today. | |
| 01:43 | I know that the words I use are sometimes tough, but they are never reckless. | |
| 01:50 | It is not my intention to spare the ideology of conquest and destruction, but neither do I intend to offend people. | |
| 02:01 | I have nothing against Muslims. I have a problem with the Islam and the Islamization of our country… | |
| 02:09 | … because Islam is at right angles to freedom. | |
| 02:14 | Future generations will wonder how we, in 2010, at this location, in this room, served our most precious asset. | |
| 02:29 | Whether the freedom is for both sides in this debate and thus also for Islam-critics. | |
| 02:35 | Or whether in the Netherlands only one side of the debate may be heard. | |
| 02:41 | Whether freedom of speech in the Netherlands applies to everyone, or only to some. | |
| 02:49 | The answer to that is immediately also the answer to the question whether freedom still has a home in this country. | |
| 02:57 | Freedom has but never been owned by a small group, but has always been the heritage of us all. | |
| 03:09 | We have all been blessed by it. | |
| 03:13 | Lady Justice wears a blindfold, but she can hear perfectly well, she can listen perfectly well. | |
| 03:23 | And I hope she, Lady Justice, will hear the following phrases sound, loud and clear: | |
| 03:30 | “It is not only the right, but also the duty of free people… | |
| 03:37 | … to speak out against any ideology that threatens freedom.” | |
| 03:44 | Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was right: | |
| 03:49 | “The price for freedom is eternal vigilance.” | |
| 03:53 | I hope with all I have in me that freedom of expression in this trial will prevail. | |
| 04:02 | Not only that I will be acquitted, but that the freedom of speech will continue to exist. | |
| 04:11 | Finally, Mr. Chairman, members of the court. | |
| 04:14 | In this trial it of course is about the freedom of expression. | |
| 04:20 | But in this trial it is certainly also about finding the truth. | |
| 04:25 | The statements I have made, the comparisons I have drawn — are they true? | |
| 04:32 | As mentioned in the summons. | |
| 04:35 | Because, if something is true, how can it be illegal? | |
| 04:40 | Therefore I ask you strongly not only to grant my request for the hearing of witnesses and experts in the field of freedom of speech. | |
| 04:52 | But I also ask you explicitly to honor my requests for the hearing of witnesses and experts on the field of Islam, all in full publicity. | |
| 05:05 | I hereby am not only referring to the gentleman Jansen and Admiraal but also on the expert witnesses | |
| 05:10 | from Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries. Preferably, all. | |
| 05:16 | I must have the ability to defend myself, | |
| 05:21 | I must prove you that I have spoken the truth, please do not obstruct me from that. | |
| 05:28 | Because without these witnesses, I cannot defend myself well | |
| 05:32 | and in my view it will be out of the question that this is a fair trial. | |
| 05:37 | Thank you. | |
| 05:40 | We will withdraw for a while to consider in the proceedings, | |
| 05:44 | unless one of us wants to say something. |
9 comments:
Probably the most importat trial of the centry!
Vlad Ţepeş did a grat job subtitling this so fast.
His speech brings shivers to my spine. To think that he could be denied the right to call witnesses to prove the truth of his statements is inconceivable to me, and I dare say, the thousands of Canadian troops who died liberating the Netherlands from Nazism. I agree that this is the most important trial of my life.
Russia Today: Hate speech or Free speech? Geert Wilders on trial
(i could not link dirrectly to the video)
Yes, a big shout-out to VH and Vlad.
What a fine opening speech.
All he said is true and as far
as I am concerned, he is not
guilty of any of the charges.
It is Islam that is guilty, to
all of them. the last 1400
years prove that. This is one
of the most important trials
of our time. Geert Wilders'
is on the stand for all of us
who love freedom and see what others refuse to see, hear or
feel about Islam. May the good
Lord continue to watch over him and keep him safe. Truly hope
and pray the truth will triumph,
along with Geert Wilders'.
Did you see the look on the center judge at about 5.20 in the video? He had his chin up very high and looked mad or something.
yngvar: Yes, a big shout-out to VH and Vlad.
A hearty second (or third), to that motion. All of us are deeply indebted to VH and Vlad for their close coverage of this "Trial of the Century".
Because, if something is true, how can it be illegal?.
Thus asked the little boy about his buck naked emperor. Europe is garbing itself in the "new clothes" of idelogical compliance with Islam. It is a flagrant and callow attempt to appease those who simply cannot and will not be appeased. Chruchill's analogy of feeding the crocodile in the hopes of being eaten last has never had more historical relevance.
Wilder's opening volley is a call to arms for all free people. His role is that of a canary-in-the-coal-mine and all of us are the proverbial frog-in-the-pot slowly being boiled alive by the incremental erosion of our own most basic liberties.
I put this along with "Fitna" up on my Facebook page. It is time all my ignorant Liberal friends got a look at what is really going on. Out of concern for "keeping it light" I tend not to post political items. When I do post something "Conservative" or critical of Islam I get silence. No more. The gloves come off this year. Things have gone to far and are too important for good manners. I will be curious to see their reactions to this.
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