ISRAEL MATZAV: Wilders acquitted on all counts

Pro-Israel Dutch politician Geert Wilders was acquitted on Friday of all charges in his trial for 'inciting' against Muslims.

Prosecutors Birgit van Roessel and Paul Velleman reached their conclusions after a careful reading of interviews with and articles by the anti-Islam politician and a viewing of his anti-Koran film Fitna.

They said comments about banning the Koran can be discriminatory, but because Wilders wants to pursue a ban on democratic lines, there is no question of incitement to discrimination 'as laid down in law'.

On the comparison of the Koran with Mein Kampf, the prosecutors said the comparison was 'crude but that did not make it punishable'.

Dealing earlier on Friday with incitement to hatred, Van Roessel and Velleman said some comments could incite hatred against Muslims if taken out of context, but if the complete text is considered, it can be seen that Wilders is against the growing influence of Islam and not against Muslims per sé.

So can Wilders' party now be made a member of the coalition, or are they still obligated to only support it from the outside due to the political correctness of other coalition members?