Dutch lawmaker tries to avoid hate speech charges

A Dutch court is hearing a petition by anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders, one of the Netherlands' most popular politicians, to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly inciting hatred against Muslims.

Charges against him stem from his March 2008 film "Fitna," which juxtaposed Quranic verses against images of terrorism by Islamic radicals. He has also called for a ban on the Quran and said Muslim headscarves "pollute" the Dutch landscape. (AP)