"Freedom of expression is the essence of democracy, and it is the voter's right to choose what he deems acceptable," the judge said. According to Hofhuis, no violations of the law were committed in the registration of the political party itself.
The three organizers of the Dutch pedophile party – 62-year-old Ed van der Berg and young Martin Uittenbogaard and Norbert de Jonge – said that the basis of their party program is the struggle for freedom of speech. With this slogan they intend to go to the parliamentary elections to 'shake and wake up The Hague.' According to party representatives, pedophilia should be discussed freely and openly, and in the interests of the children themselves. 'A ban only makes children more curious,' Ed van der Berg said in an interview with the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. 'We want to bring the issue of pedophilia up for open discussion.' According to him, the party hopes to remove the label of criminals from lovers of sex with minors.
The party intends to achieve the legalization of pedophilia by lowering the age of consent from 16 to 12 years. In addition, according to the organizers of the political movement, it is necessary to allow the broadcast of pornographic films on television during the daytime. 'Children need to be given sex education. And it is even useful for 16-year-olds to star in pornographic films,' party members note. In addition to the actual approval of pedophilia by the Netherlands, the party's program includes the legalization of child pornography and sex with animals.
True, the pedophiles did not go too radical in these matters: they seek permission from the authorities for dubious activities only at an individual level. Supporters of the movement propose not to punish lovers of child pornography if they keep films and photographs only at home and use them for personal viewing. Having sex with animals, according to the pedophiles, should not be prohibited, but cases of abuse should remain criminally punishable (though how the court will determine whether the animal voluntarily went to have sex with its owner or not is not specified in the party's program).
However, the Party of Mercy, Freedom and Diversity assures that its program is not focused only on the topic of pedophilia and zoophilia. It wants to ensure that children from the age of 12 can vote in elections. The pedophile politicians also advocate the full legalization of soft and hard drugs and free railway travel.
Another item of the program, apparently intended to attract the attention of less tolerant citizens, is a law under which anyone who kills two people is automatically sentenced to life imprisonment. Most residents of the Netherlands, where soft drugs, prostitution and same-sex marriages have already been legalized, were shocked by the news of the creation of such a party.
A public opinion poll showed that 82% of respondents demand that the authorities urgently ban the party. At the same time, 67% of those polled said that pedophilia should be criminally punishable. At the same time, 12% of the population spoke out not against pedophilia, so the party has a chance to overcome the electoral threshold in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Representatives of the Christian community opposed the newly minted politicians. 'Pedophilia and pornography must be banned in all civilized states,' note the country's religious figures. Some members of the Dutch parliament said they would appeal to the government with a demand to urgently ban the party. And the parliamentary leader of the center-left party 'Democrats 66', Lousewies van der Laan, even said that 'these people need a psychiatrist, not a political party'.
A lawsuit in the Hague Court to ban the political party was filed by the public organization Soelaas, which fights against manifestations of pedophilia in the Netherlands. 'This foundation demands that the court stand up for the protection of the moral principles and foundations of society, but ethical issues alone are not enough to decide on the illegality of any political organization,' said Judge Hofhuis.
Now that the court has confirmed the legitimacy of the Party of Mercy, Freedom and Diversity, the pedophiles of Holland have very little left to do to participate in the parliamentary elections scheduled for November 22: they need to draw up a list of candidates for seats in parliament and collect at least 30 signatures of supporters.
Grigory SMIRNOV.
Gazeta.Ru