New film raises fears of Muslim outrage

Well, Geert Wilders film has hit the Internet "airwaves" and is not making quite the splash the naysayers and fearmongers thought it would.

View the film HERE (<17 minutes)

The story from Foxnews:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,342470,00.html

First Reactions to Dutch Anti-Quran Film Are Muted
Thursday, March 27, 2008

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Is this all? That has been the general reaction to "Fitna,' the anti-Koran film by Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders.

It took a bit of time before the movie, released on the Internet Thursday, picked up attention. An hour after its release about 75,000 people had watched the movie, but soon afterward the online traffic numbers jumped to over 700,000 for the Dutch version and 200,000 for the English version.

The film cites verses of the Koran interspersed with images of violence from terrorist attacks in the United States and Spain and the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh on an Amsterdam street.

After heated debate preceding the release of the film, first reactions seem to be muted.

The first political party to react was the left socialist party SP, whose leaders said they saw nothing new — just a collection of paper clippings and footage and the same old generalizing Geert Wilders.

The socialists state that Wilders has no eye for the majority of the Muslim community and only recognizes one form of Islam, which is the line of the fundamentalists.

Brahim Bourzak, a spokesperson for the National Moroccan Representation, said he was very relieved after he saw the movie.

The worries for riots that he shared with the Dutch society have diminished, he said. According to Bourzik the efforts from the Dutch government have added to this relief.

He said Wilders must have thought hard about the movie and that it is within the boundaries of the law.

Moroccan mosques will open up for all Dutch people on Friday.

The Moroccan Representation will give a press conference in the El Ouma mosque in Amsterdam on Friday morning.
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I didn't think the film was all that bad. It merely pointed out the history of radical islamic attacks on Western countries.

Of course, I didn't thing those editorial cartoons were that bad either but a couple of dozen people died during the riots over those.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,343351,00.html

Controversial Anti-Muslim Film Sparks Worldwide Condemnation
Monday, March 31, 2008

If a Dutch lawmaker wanted to create a firestorm by producing an anti-Islamic film designed "to shake off the creeping tyranny of Islamicization," it appears he achieved his goal.

Geert Wilders' 15-minute film, "Fitna" hit the Internet by storm after it was posted online Friday but yanked from the UK-based site, LiveLeak.com, a day later due to security concerns.

"Fitna" -- "Ordeal" in Arabic -- features footage of terror strikes such as 9/11, the Madrid train bombings and the murder of Dutch film director Theo van Gogh, mixed with verses from the Koran. It was up long enough for other file-sharing sites to distribute the film to anyone with an Internet connection. Wilders turned to the Internet to release his film after he failed to find a television distributor.

Click here to view 'Fitna' from Sweetness & Light.com (Warning: Graphic).
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Thank God our version of free speech is not the same as in Amsterdam.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,481665,00.html

Dutch Lawmaker, Charged With Insulting Islam, Fears Prison Sentence

Thursday, January 22, 2009

By Joel Mowbray

A member of parliament in the Netherlands who has been charged with "insulting" Muslims says he fears he will be found guilty and sent to prison in only a few months.

An appeals court on Wednesday overturned a previous decision by prosecutors not to charge Geert Wilders, and ordered that he stand trial.

"The decision of the court today was so strong that there is a real chance unfortunately that there will be a guilty verdict," Wilders told FOXNews.com. "In fact, it was so bluntly motivated that it already looks like a verdict instead of just ordering the public prosecutor to start a trial."

Wilders, who produced a controversial film that was highly critical of the Koran last year, says he faces a maximum of two years in prison if convicted. He said he had expected to be charged, and he has retained legal assistance from a U.S.-based nonprofit to help him defend himself.

Prosecutors initially declined last year to charge the right wing politician after he issued his short film, "Fitna," which juxtaposes Koranic verses over footage of violence committed by Islamic terrorists.

But, the Netherlands allows private citizens to petition the courts to compel prosecution. In Wilders' case, eight parties, including a politician from an opposing party, asked the courts to force prosecutors to bring criminal charges.

A three-judge appeals panel on Wednesday ruled that Wilders' insults to Islam were so egregious that the principle of free speech was not sufficient defense.

"The court considers [Wilders' film] so insulting for Muslims that it is in the public interest to prosecute Wilders," a summary of the court's decision said. The court explained that Wilders' claims in "Fitna" and other media statements were "one-sided generalizations ... which can amount to inciting hatred."

Wilders on Wednesday defiantly stood by the public statements that could put him in prison.

"I lost my freedom already four and a half years ago in October 2004, when my 24-hour police protection started because of threats by Muslims in Holland and abroad to kill me," he said.

"So of course I don't want to go to jail as a criminal, but I don't fear losing my freedom since I already lost my freedom in 2004."

For several months, Wilders has been receiving pro bono assistance from a U.S.-based nonprofit called the Legal Project, whose aim is to protect free speech in what it says is a worldwide campaign to silence critics of "militant" Islam.

Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes founded the Legal Project following a slew of cases in which authors and activists were sued for alleged hate speech against Muslims and Islam, including several cases in the United States.

"The Legal Project helped me when I was in the United States, arranging meetings with important legal scholars and elected officials," Wilders told FOXNews.com. "They also helped bring public attention to my case, which hopefully will help me raise money for my legal defense fund."

Brooke Goldstein, a human rights attorney and director of the Legal Project, said Wilders' case indicates that free speech is increasingly under assault. "Geert Wilders could be going to jail for making admittedly harsh criticisms of Islam that actually echo statements made by Muslims," Goldstein said.

"Even if he prevails at trial, the damage to free speech will be done. Who wants to risk the time, cost and public harassment of a criminal trial?"

Goldstein said criminal prosecutions for hate speech or incitement are unlikely in the U.S. because of the First Amendment, but she said the mere threat of a lawsuit can stifle speech, especially when they concern corporations that must focus on turning a profit.

Even individuals participating in what they consider basic free-speech activities can find themselves in legal crosshairs, Goldstein said.

One Legal Project client is former CIA official and NYPD counterterrorism consultant Bruce Tefft, who was sued by a Muslim police officer for "workplace harassment" after he allegedly sent anti-Muslim e-mails to a voluntary recipient list of police officers.
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Look into my crystal ball.....
But, the Netherlands allows private citizens to petition the courts to compel prosecution. In Wilders' case, eight parties, including a politician from an opposing party, asked the courts to force prosecutors to bring criminal charges.

A three-judge appeals panel on Wednesday ruled that Wilders' insults to Islam were so egregious that the principle of free speech was not sufficient defense.
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Geert Wilders interview with Glenn Beck 2-23-09.

VIDEO LINK

The Dutch government is threatening to try and imprison him for saying bad things about Islam. It is now a crime to hurt someone's feelings.

Pay particular attention to what went on in Great Britain with the Queen's Christmas address and how they allowed a counter response by none other than Ahmadinejad himself.

Britain is lost.
 
Gaining popularity, Geert Wilders makes headway in making his party the largest seat holder in the Dutch Parliament.

SOURCE

ANALYSIS-Wilders taps Dutch discontent, bares political cracks

05 Mar 2010 15:48:55 GMT
Source: Reuters
* Concern over Islam, globalisation drive Wilders' support

* Focus on tolerance hid concerns over immigration

* Wilders' party could top snap election-poll

By Aaron Gray-Block

AMSTERDAM, March 5 (Reuters) - After scoring gains in local elections, Dutch anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders is now primed to make waves in a national poll in June by tapping into discontent over Islam and globalisation.

In the first test of public opinion since the collapse of Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's coalition government last month, Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) became the largest party in the city of Almere and came second in The Hague on Wednesday.

Drawing strength from a savvy public relations machine and a populist anti-immigration stance that plays well with part of the electorate, Wilders also represents a vote against the political elite, political experts say.

"He thrives on discontent in society and multiculturalism and he has targeted Islam," said Nico Landman, an associate professor in Islamic studies at Utrecht University.

Muslims now make up about 6 percent, or 1 million of the 16 million population of the Netherlands.

Hit by the slowdown in global trade after two decades of strong growth and low unemployment, the stagnating economy has heightened concerns over religious freedom, immigrant unemployment and crime.

Gay populist Pim Fortuyn was the first to tap into those concerns before he was gunned down by an environmentalist in 2002. Two years later, a Moroccan-Dutch man killed filmmaker and Islam critic Theo van Gogh, providing another flashpoint.

Recent governments have tightened immigration laws and pushed to integrate immigrants better, introducing compulsory Dutch language and society lessons.

But such policy changes take time to produce results and critics say governments in the 1980s failed to see the downside of immigration, blinded by multiculturalist policies.

"It's not too much to ask that people who come here to share our values," said Theo Verstappen, 53, a bus driver from Gouda.

The debate may surprise outsiders used to seeing the Netherland's open policies on drugs and prostitution as totems of a liberal national psyche.

But Dutch tolerance has always had its limits, said Meindert Fennema, a professor in political theory at Amsterdam University.

FERTILE GROUND FOR WILDERS

It is against this background that Wilders has steered his Freedom Party to the top of the polls, recent survey suggesting his outfit could become the largest party in the 150-seat Dutch Parliament. [ID:nLDE61R08D]

Muslim leaders have struggled to make headway against the consummate communicator who has become adept at avoiding direct confrontation.

"He attracts a lot of public attention by using statements in parliament and outside parliament which get a lot of media coverage, but when he is invited to an open debate he can't control, he simply refuses the invitation," Utrecht University's Landman said.

But community leaders concede they too must do more.

"We need to give an opposing voice and that's what we want to keep doing and we haven't done that enough," said Henny Kreeft, chairman of the Dutch Muslim Party chairman.

"Wilders creates fear and reacts to the Islamisation of the Netherlands, but there is no Islamisation of the Netherlands."

Further helping Wilders is a changing political dynamic, a move away from a left-right divide to a split between traditional and newer parties such as Freedom, said Tilburg University political science professor Marcel Boogers.

Voters are also shedding party affiliations and now switch easily, leading to wide vote swings and a fragmented political scene with no clear majority.

Concerns about globalisation have turned Dutch voters inwards and away greater involvement in NATO and international affairs, a trend which has also worked in Wilders' favour.

The government has run a pro-Europe policy in recent years but Boogers said recent administrations have failed to show how workers and the elderly benefit.

Wilders has campaigned against EU influence in Dutch laws, though little is known of his economic policies besides his opposition to raising the retirement age and higher taxes. He has also called for massive cuts to foreign aid.

"Many people fear globalisation and a growing European Union and that's why they vote for Wilders," Boogers said.

Unlike large companies or international entrepreneurs who need skilled expats, small company owners or tradesman are concerned globalisation and open borders mean cheap labour inflows will threaten job security.

Andre Krouwel, professor of political science at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, said Wilders has seized on these concerns by becoming increasingly an economic protectionist to boost his electoral support.

If Freedom does as well as expected in the June polls, one of the coalitions considered possible after the national election is a combination of the Christian Democrats, Liberal VVD and the Freedom Party, but they probably will not have a majority which means they will need a fourth party.

The Labour party -- one of the country's largest -- has called for a boycott of Wilders but will have its own problems forming a coalition. So months of political deadlock are likely no matter what the result. (Editing by Sonya Hepinstall and Jon Boyle)
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Geert Wilders continues to gain ground in his assault on the Islamist invasion of his country.

The peaceful religion of Islam has placed a bounty on his head. He is afforded 24 hour armed protection and he sleeps in a different bed every night.

Because he dares to call the Islamists what they really are, he is being brought before the court for "hate speech". The court has disallowed all but three of his primary witnesses. The apologists and appeasers are against him.

SOURCE

Anti-Islamist Dutch Politician, Facing Trial for ‘Inciting Hatred,’ Secures His Party’s Role in New Government

“Who would have thought, a couple of years ago, that the Freedom Party would have a huge amount of influence in government?” anti-Islamist Dutch politician Geert Wilders said on Tuesday evening.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
By Patrick Goodenough

(CNSNews.com) – Days before anti-Islamist Dutch politician Geert Wilders’ trial for “inciting hatred and discrimination” begins, his political party has reached an agreement with two others on forming the country’s next government.

Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) reportedly will not hold any cabinet posts, but it will lend support in parliament to a minority coalition government headed by the center-right Liberal Party (VVD), whose leader Mark Rutte is set to become prime minister.

“Who would have thought, a couple of years ago, that the Freedom Party would have a huge amount of influence in government?” Wilders said on Tuesday evening.

The relatively rapid rise of the PVV is seen as a reflection of hardening sentiment in the Netherlands against radical Islam, triggered in part by the 2004 murder by a Muslim extremist of controversial Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, who had focused his criticism on Islam.

About six percent of the Netherlands’ population – one million out of a total of 16 million – is Muslim, mostly of Turkish and Moroccan origin.

Six years ago Wilders, then a VVD lawmaker, split from the party because he opposed its support for Turkey joining the European Union. A one-man campaign grew into the new Freedom Party which in 2006 elections stunned political observers by winning nine seats in the 150-seat Tweede Kamer legislature.

That achievement was replicated in June, when Wilders’ party jumped to 24 seats, making it the third-largest in the Tweede Kamer.

As the election left neither the front-runner VVD nor the second-placed center-left Labor Party with enough support to govern alone, lengthy coalition negotiations followed.

Some 110 days later they delivered an agreement late Tuesday involving VVD, PVV and the Christian Democrats (CDA), the center-right party which led the outgoing governing coalition but saw its parliamentary representation halved in June, dropping from first to fourth place.

The details of the deal will be announced publicly on Thursday. CDA leaders will convene a special conference at the weekend to seek the party’s endorsement, some prominent CDA lawmakers having voiced objections to an association with the PVV.

Labor and left-wing parties have also been critical of the prospect of a conservative government dependent on Wilders, who is vilified by many on the left.

‘Hate speech’

On Monday, Wilders goes on trial in the Amsterdam District Court for allegedly “inciting hatred and discrimination,” charges arising his from statements and activism against radical Islam.

In 2008 he drew protests from Muslims around the world after producing a short documentary film that interspersed passages from the Quran with footage of terror attacks and clips of Muslim clerics endorsing violence.

He had already provoked controversy a year earlier by calling for the Quran to be outlawed in the Netherlands, on the grounds that verses instruct Muslims “to oppress, persecute or kill Christians, Jews, dissidents and non-believers, to beat and rape women and to establish an Islamic state by force.”

An appeal court ruled last year that Wilders’ statements constituted “hate speech” and instructed prosecutors to indict him.

The prospect of a trial has evidently not dampened his fervor. Wilders delivered a rousing speech at a Sept. 11 rally in New York opposing the “Ground Zero mosque,” and told the Associated Press over the summer he has plans to launch an international “freedom alliance,” beginning in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Germany and France.

Early this year Wilders submitted to the Amsterdam court a list of 18 witnesses he wanted to call when his trial begins, but the court turned down all but three of them.

Among those rejected was the murderer of van Gogh who during his 2005 trial carried a copy of the Quran, told the court he had acted purely in the name of Islam and voiced no remorse.

Others Wilders wanted to call included two hard line Iranian ayatollahs, and experts in Islam, human rights and law.

The judges permitted only three witnesses – two Dutch experts on Islamic fundamentalism and radicalization and a Syrian-born critic of Islam – and said their testimony must be held behind closed doors.

The trial has been set down for October 4, 6 and 8, with further dates later in the month. The verdict is expected on November 2.

If convicted, Wilders faces up to16 months in prison or a fine of about $14,000.
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Are they as radical as Wilders says they are?

Are they bent on conquering all of Europe and the world?

Listen for yourselves.

VIDEO LINK

Now you know why he needs bodyguards to protect him from the "religion of peace."
 
It's over!

The prosecution is now asking the court, in the case against Geert Wilders, to dismiss the charges after they belatedly determined that he was within his rights to say the things he has said.

SOURCE

Prosecutors Ask to Drop Anti-Islam Charges Against Dutch Lawmaker Geert Wilders

Published October 15, 2010 | FoxNews.com

The criminal case against Geert Wilders appears to be unraveling.

Wilders, the controversial Dutch lawmaker and filmmaker known for his outspoken stances against Islam, was facing prosecution in his home country for allegedly inciting racial hatred. But prosecutors in the case said Friday they've asked the court to drop the charges.

The prosecutors now say that Wilders was targeting the religion, not Muslim individuals, and he has some leeway as a lawmaker to make statements about social problems, Reuters reported.

Earlier this month, Wilders appealed for freedom of expression and then exercised his right to silence as the trial began, at a time when his popularity and influence in the Netherlands are near all-time highs.

Wilders has compared Islam to Nazism and called for a ban on the Koran. He argues he has a right to freedom of speech and that his remarks were within the bounds of the law.

Immigration-related issues have dominated politics in the Netherlands and much of Europe over the past decade. Wilders has drawn comparisons with populists such as the late Jorg Haider in Austria and Jean-Marie Le Pen in France.

His stances resound deeply with Dutch voters, who have reconsidered their famous tolerance amid fears their own culture is being eroded by immigrants who don't share their values. Around 6 percent of the Dutch population is now Muslim.

Among Wilders' many remarks at issue in the trial, an editorial in newspaper De Volkskrant stands out.

"I've had enough of Islam in the Netherlands; let not one more Muslim immigrate," he wrote in the paper. "I've had enough of the Koran in the Netherlands: Forbid that fascist book."

The flamboyant, bleach-blond politician also has called for taxing clothing commonly worn by Muslims, such as head scarves -- or "head rags," as he called them -- because they "pollute" the Dutch landscape.

He may be best known for the 2008 short film "Fitna," which offended Muslims around the world by juxtaposing Koranic verses with images of terrorism by Islamic radicals.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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