一家荷兰法庭宣布继续审理一位广受欢迎政治家的案件，尽管被告要求驳回此案。
法官奥斯藤星期三裁决，国会议员维尔德斯必须在4月13日再次出庭，他因反复将伊斯兰教与纳粹党相比较而受到指控。维尔德斯说，他的言论受到言论自由权的保护。
维尔德斯是影响日益增长的自由民主人民党的成员，自由民主人民党经常在关键议题上支持少数派政府。如果罪名成立，维尔德斯将面临最长一年的刑期，或者数千美元的罚金。法庭预计将在6月作出审判。
A Dutch court has ruled that the hate speech trial of a popular politician will go ahead, despite the defendant’s request to dismiss the case.
Judge Marcel van Oosten ruled Wednesday that parliament member Geert Wilders must reappear in court April 13 to face charges that he repeatedly compared Islam to the Nazi party. Wilders says his remarks are protected by his right to freedom of speech.
Wilders is a member of the increasingly influential Freedom Party, which routinely supports the minority government on key issues. If convicted, Wilders faces up to a year in jail or thousands of dollars in fines. The court is expected to produce a verdict by June.