Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders began his appeal on Thursday against a conviction for inciting discrimination, accusing prosecutors of trying to destroy his right to free speech.
Wilders, whose party finished second place in an election last year, is the leader of the opposition in the Netherlands and one of the leading figures in Europe's far right.
"What the Islamists haven't been able to do to me, the prosecutors are trying to do anyway: destroy freedom of expression," Wilders said on Twitter before the start of Thursday's hearing, held in a special high-security courtroom near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.
He is appealing his 2016 conviction for inciting discrimination, over a campaign rally at which he asked supporters whether they wanted more or fewer Moroccans in the country. When they chanted "Fewer! Fewer!" he replied: "We're going to take care of that."
Prosecutors are also appealing his acquittal over separate charges of inciting hatred. Prosecutors have sought a fine of 5,000 euros and no jail time.
Article 1 of the Dutch constitution forbids discrimination on any grounds. Wilders says he has never called for violence and the number of Moroccans in the country could be reduced by legal means. He was previously acquitted of hate speech in 2011.
The appeals hearings run through June 6, with a verdict expected a month later.
Wilders has lived in safe houses under 24-hour guard since 2004 to protect him from militants who threaten to kill him. He says Islam is a fascist ideology, and has called for halting immigration from Muslim countries, shutting mosques and banning the Quran.
