ROTTERDAM, 05/02/03 - Liveable Rotterdam (LR) councillor Michiel Smit is to appear in court next week. He broke a window in the Pauluskerk, the church/addicts shelter of Reverend Visser.

Smit acknowledges the incident, which took place on Queen's Day (30 April). "It happened when there was a lot of tension. In the runup to the elections on 15 May, all kinds of things were shouted about Pim Fortuyn (LR's leader). I myself was also threatened. What I did was not good, but nobody asks Visser what he said at the time. "

According to Smit, he paid for the damage and the matter was settled. But a spokeswoman for the Public Prosecutor's Office reported that the session is still planned for 11 February. "If something had been made known here about a settlement, it would already have been struck off the list. "

Liveable Rotterdam party leader R. Sorensen only heard of the incident yesterday, but backed Smit up. "Visser regularly made Fortuyn out to be a fascist. If you have to appear in court in this city because you broke a window, that says a great deal about the judiciary. This reeks of class justice," in Sorensen's view.