Posted on 07/17/2006 9:37:08 AM PDT by presidio9
A Dutch court refused Monday to ban a political party whose main goal is to lower the age of sexual consent from 16 to 12. The judge said it was the voters' right to judge the appeal of political parties.
The party has only three known members, one of whom was convicted of molesting an 11-year-old boy in 1987. Widely dubbed the "pedophile" party, it is unlikely ever to win a seat in parliament. The group would need around 60,000 votes, and pollsters estimate it would get fewer than 1,000.
Opponents had asked The Hague District Court to bar the party from registering for national elections in November, arguing that children have the right not to be confronted with the party's platform.
"Freedom of expression, freedom ... of association, including the freedom to set up a political party, can be seen as the basis for a democratic society," Judge H. Hofhuis said in his ruling.
"These freedoms give citizens the opportunity to, for example, use a political party to appeal for change to the constitution, law, or policy."
He noted that the PNVD party, the Dutch abbreviation of Brotherly Love, Freedom and Diversity, had not committed a crime, but was calling for a change in the law.
"It is the right of the voter to judge the appeal of political parties," he said.
The party sparked outrage when it proclaimed its existence in late May, but prosecutors declined to prosecute its members as a threat to public order.
"We expected this result," said party treasurer Ad van den Berg, 62. "We are not doing anything illegal so there is no reason to ban us."
Van den Berg was fined and given a suspended prison sentence for molesting an 11-year-old boy in 1987. After his background became known last month, he was chased from the trailer park where he lived in the city of Oostvoorne.
Anke de Wijn, an attorney representing the party's opponents, said the group was abusing Dutch tolerance.
"Victims feel hurt by the wish of pedophiles to make their desires known in public," De Wijn said. "There are few limitations on free speech, and that's good, but this group is making misuse of the privilege, to provoke."
The PNVD's known members were a president, a secretary and a treasurer, as required under Dutch law. In order to stand in elections scheduled for Nov. 22, it will have to submit a list of candidates and the signatures of at least 30 supporters to get on the ballot in any one of the country's 19 voting districts.
Ireen van Engelen of the Solace Foundation, which researches pedophilia, said the party likely would fail to register for the elections because pedophiles seek anonymity.
"They will never want to connect their name to the party and without the signatures they can't go in the elections," she said.
The Dutch should be ashamed of themselves.
I doubt it though.
Coming soon to a Democratic National Committee near you...
Barney Frank call your office!
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NETHERLANDS_PEDOPHILES?SITE=7219&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-07-17-08-00-57
Link didn't make it with the posting. My bad.
In the USA, we call this "the democrat party." Spearheaded by ACLU law-yahs from NYU and Columbia, as Michael Savage would say.
So...if we could point the crazed homicidal Muslims at the pedophiles, and arm them both....hmm...
}:-)4
Already got that here. The democrat party IS the pedophile party, the gay party, the party of every kind of criminal and pervert imaginable.
Oh
My
God
I've found the perfect candidate for them!
Heck, let them. This way we'll know who they are - and we'll have yet another example of why we don't want to be like the Europeans.
It rather puts a new spin on the definition of democracy being "Two wolves and a lamb voting on what's to be for dinner."
The intended prey in this instance being too young to vote.
INFLATABLE INGRID! (post #11)
I was wonder whatever became of the poor dear. LAst I heard, she was in a lake somewhere in Europe.
Now she's fronting for the pedophile/pervert party!
Photograph ©William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library.
As close to an accurate description of the relationship of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate as I've ever read.
Finally! A third party that's honest about itself.
OMG....my husband predicted this would come to pass. Not specifically the Dutch, but the "preverted pedophiles" wanting certain rights. And, the USA not far behind.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.