Dutch Court OK's "Pedophile" Political Party
Julie Farby - All Headline News Staff Writer The Hague, Netherlands (AHN) - With the judge ruling it is the voters' right to judge the appeal of political parties, a Dutch court refused on Monday to ban a political party whose main goal is to lower the age of sexual consent from 16 to 12. 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. But, in his ruling Judge H. Hofhuis says, "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," adding that, "These freedoms give citizens the opportunity to, for example, use a political party to appeal for change to the constitution, law, or policy." Hofhuis goes on to say, "It is the right of the voter to judge the appeal of political parties." The PNVD party, the Dutch abbreviation of Brotherly Love, Freedom and Diversity, 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, since the group would need around 60,000 votes, and pollsters estimate it would get fewer than 1,000. The party sparked outrage when it proclaimed its existence in late May, but prosecutors declined to prosecute its members as a |
