This came in while I was in transit. I know you’ve all seen the news, but here it is anyway, from Radio Netherlands:
British government refuses entry
The British government has refused entry to Geert Wilders, the leader of the populist Freedom Party. The British authorities said beforehand that Geert Wilders would not be allowed to enter the country, but the MP decided to board a flight to London anyway. At the airport, he was detained by Customs officials who advised he would have to return to the Netherlands immediately.
Speaking to Reuters from the airport, Mr Wilders said
“I am in a detention centre at Heathrow… I am detained. They took my passport. I will not be allowed to enter the country. They will send me back within a few hours.”
Mr Wilders, who is about to stand trial in The Netherlands for inciting hatred towards Muslims, on Wednesday received a letter from the British Government banning him from entering the United Kingdom.
Invited by Lord
Mr Wilders was invited by a member of the House of Lords, Lord Pearson of the UK Independence Party, to show his 17-minute film Fitna. The film is a collage of Qur’an verses, footage of terrorist attacks and images of Islamic symbols.
The British refusal to deny entry to a Dutch MP has been condemned by Dutch parties from across the political spectrum. Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen appealed unsuccessfuly to the British government to reconsider its decision. He said the Dutch ambassador to Great Britain, Pieter Willem Waldeck, would meet Mr Wilders when he arrived in London, to offer help if necessary. Later, the ambassador told Dutch journalists he had done everything possible, but to no avail.
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On Wednesday, parties from all sides of the Dutch political spectrum expressed their outrage over the British ban, although few MPs agree with Mr Wilders’ islamophobic views. The parliamentarians, however, stress the point that anyone within the European Union should be free to travel and to express his or her views.
On Thursday afternoon, when it was confirmed that Mr Wilders would not be allowed to enter the UK, the parliamentary leader of the Conservative VVD Party, Hans van Baalen, told Dutch news agency ANP that Sir Winston Churchill, the champion of free speech, would be “turning in his grave.” He wants the Dutch foreign minister to summon the British ambassador to the Netherlands and deliver a formal protest at the treatment of Mr Wilders. He also wants the Mr Verhagen to raise the issue at the next meeting of EU foreign ministers. The VVD’s position was echoed by the Dutch Labour Party. Labour MP Jeroen Dijsselbloem called it an ‘idiotic situation’.
Radical views
The British government has barred him from entering the country on the grounds that his radical views on Islam “would threaten community
Mr Wilders would not be allowed to enter the UK, the parliamentary leader of the Conservative VVD Party, Hans van Baalen, told Dutch news agency ANP that Sir Winston Churchill, the champion of free speech, would be “turning in his grave.” He wants the Dutch foreign minister to summon the British ambassador to the Netherlands and deliver a formal protest at the treatment of Mr Wilders. He also wants the Mr Verhagen to raise the issue at the next meeting of EU foreign ministers. The VVD’s position was echoed by the Dutch Labour Party. Labour MP Jeroen Dijsselbloem called it an ‘idiotic situation’.
Radical views
The British government has barred him from entering the country on the grounds that his radical views on Islam “would threaten community harmony and therefore public security”.
Geert Wilders published the letter on his website and responded on his website,
“Great Britain is sacrificing freedom of speech. You would expect something like this to happen in countries like Saudi Arabia, but not in Great Britain. This cowardly act by the British government is a disgrace. I was invited by a British member of parliament.”
Hat tip: TB.
9/11 was not the end. Was it the beginning of the end? Whose? We need victories in our lands not just in their lands.
There is a good side to it all though. It brings even more attention to his case and the threat of islam to us all and how they are trying to shut down our rights of freedom of speech and such. They just want the problem togo away as quietly as possible. Now it won’t. Both the dutch and the british government has made a great mistake. Now they will have to reap what they have sown.
Old Atlantic Lighthouse I don’t think 9/11 was the beginning or the end. If anything it was a distraction or smoke-screen. It wasn’t intended as such, but this is the effect it had.
So awful were the events of 9/11 the world focused its eyes and energies on a few terrorists, and took its eyes off the millions of muslims that are slowly eating at our culture, society and judeo-christian traditions and codes. Our leaders came out to celebrate Islam as a religion of peace and finger the blame on extremists. This lie has continued ever since.
There is nothing to celebrate in Islam. There is no peaceful, democratic islamic country on earth with freedom of speech and human rights.
Robin, I agree this has certainly started debates that many people would not have had the chance to hear. This is good.
Lord Pearson was on Sky News today in the UK, and he gave an excellent defence of free speech. He also put some thorny questions to Lord Ahmed: Do you believe in the principle of abrogation? Why are Muslim apostates sentenced to death? That sort of thing … outstanding work by Lord Pearson!
Kenny–
Is there a transcript or a video of this anywhere?
Unfortunately I didn’t tape it. Who thought something like that would be shown on TV? Especially in the current climate, and especially today, after Wilders hadn’t been allowed into the country. So I wasn’t ready with a blank tape and my remote control, I’m afraid. Lord Pearson was outstanding though. There is a cut down version of the interview, that is to say an edited version with no mention of abrogation or apostates or any of those pesky little issues that Lord Ahmed found so tricky, on the Sky News site. There is also a nice little clip on a BBC page of Lord Pearson’s comments to his colleagues after he had gone ahead and shown “Fitna” to them in the absence of Geert Wilders. Play the little movie entitled “Lord Pearson explains why he invited Dutch MP Geert Wilders to the UK.” It’s halfway down the page.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7885918.stm
So we witnessed the smallest Berlin wall created between UK and NL.
Real miniature – just for one man.
Maybe the joke could be fuller to have him coming with a quran in his hand plus passport.
You might have the fun of not letting the quran in UK.
I’ve emailed Sky News and asked them to put the whole interview on their website, not just two minutes worth. Alternatively, they might put a complete transcript of the interview on http://www.skynewstranscripts.co.uk
England, in effect decreed:
STOP THE HATEFUL SPEECH IN THE KORAN FROM BEING QUESTIONED!
I propose that Jonathan Swift must be modestly laughing.
I believe with each such small step, we are moving towards a violent confrontation. The British government decided to show its contempt for its culture and consequently its population. Wilders speaks for them, but these small minded British officials believe they can stop these conversations….when people realize that talking is useless, they will fight.
Doesn’t Great Britain have something of a history here? Appeasers of the Nazi regime were lionized and conversely those who warned against them were treated like skunks at the picnic of false “peace in our time”.
Wilders may be in exactly Churchill’s unpopular Cassandra- like position before the Nazis over-stepped and the weight of public opinion shifted.
Hope this brave man speaking truth to power survives to be a catalyst against the new totalitarianism which has metastasized into every western country and brainwashed their leadership into dhimmit fools.
A Danish SITA action on Hodja’s blog
http://tinyurl.com/ahtogc
Write two English authorities
This action is relayed in French:
http://www.actionsita.com/article-27885509.html
http://tinyurl.com/acvwe9
Absolutely nothing of this scandal is mentioned in the swedish news. What the people don’t know hasn’t happened. Disgusting.