Geert Wilders' anti-EU party biggest election winner in Dutch European Elections

Radio Netherlands

The biggest winners in Thursday's European Parliament elections in the Netherlands are the two most outspoken parties: Geert Wilders' nationalist anti-EU party and the firmly pro-EU social-liberal party D66.

Fielding candidates for the first time, Mr Wilders' staunchly anti-European party will be returning four of the 25 Dutch MEPs. The other winners are social-liberal D66 and Green Left, both of whom are firm advocates of the European Union; each will send three MEPs to Brussels.

The Freedom Party MEPs will be headed by Barry Madlener; Mr Wilders will remain an MP in The Hague. The Freedom Party has ruled out joining any of the existing multi-party factions in the EP. In his victory speech, Mr Madlener repeated he will go for "less Europe, more Netherlands, Turkey never an EU member".

Listen to the reactions of senior Dutch politicians and party leaders to the European parliamentary election results (See below for details of the politicians featured in the report*)

Given the size of the European Parliament - it has 736 seats - it remains doubtful whether the Freedom Party will manage to make its mark, all by itself. That's a worrying scenario, Amsterdam politicologist André Krouwel told RNW's Perro de Jong:

"I'm afraid that all the people who pinned their hopes on Wilders and who did so in earnest may once again get the feeling that they are not being understood, and that their problems are not being taken seriously. It may cause them to become disillusioned with the political system forever."

"Yes" to EU wins too
Voters rejected the other parties' two-faced approach of a "no" to the Brussels bureaucracy, but a "yes" to the European ideals. They voted either for the Freedom Party's "no", or for the outspoken "yes" of the other outright winner, social-liberal D66. The rejuvenated liberals even centred their campaign around their pro-European position, and tripled their following. EU-friendly ecology party Green Left, too, managed to gain an extra seat.

National effect
Formally the elections have no repercussions on national politics, but the vote is generally seen as a nationwide opinion poll on the performance of the Dutch government and opposition in The Hague. Emphasising that his party was now the country's second biggest in terms of voter share, Geert Wilders was quick to claim that the results are a call on the government to step down.

Opinion polls had been predicting that Mr Wilders' PVV would become the country's biggest party if general elections were held now. As it happens, in Thursday's EU elections the party narrowly failed to dethrone the Christian Democrats as the country's largest party.

The three parties that form the governing coalition together lost 6 of their 16 MEPs. The biggest blow was administered to Labour, the big loser in the contest, which was more than halved, from 7 to 3 seats. The Christian Democrats lost 2 of their 7 seats.

The third coalition partner, small Christian Union, remained stable at two seats, as did opposition Socialist Party. Opposition conservative VVD, which had feared being leeched by Mr Wilders' party, lost just one of its four seats.

Wait till Sunday
The final results of the Europe-wide elections will not be known until Sunday evening, when voting has been completed in all EU member states. Contravening Brussels' preferences, the Netherlands is not witholding the election results until Sunday. The tradition is for the outcome to be published as soon as the votes have been counted.

*Senior Dutch politicians and party leaders responding to the European election results, in the order they feature in the report:

• Femke Halsema, leader of the Green Left party in the Dutch parliament
• Jack de Vries, deputy defence minister and prominent Christian Democrat
• Hans van Balen, Conservative VVD leader for the European election
• Harrry van Bommel, Socialist Party MP
• Wim van de Camp, Christian Democrat leader for the European election
• Femke Halsema
• Geert Wilders, Freedom Party leader
• Barry Madlener, Freedom Party leader for the European election
• Hero Brinkman, Freedom Party MP

The table below summarises the Dutch results, with 92 percent of the votes counted.
Turnout was at 36 percent, slightly below the 40 percent mark of 2004.

EP 2009 election results (old seat count in brackets)

Christian Democrats	5	(7)
Labour	3	(7)
Conservative VVD	3	(4)
Social-liberal D66	3	(1)
GreenLeft	3	(2)
Socialist Party	2	(2)
Christian Union/Dutch Reformed Party	2	(2)
Freedom Party	4	(0)

LINKS
- Geert Wilders winner
- Wikipedia: Geert Wilders

Dutch party chief Geert Wilders barred from UK

By Michael Steen in Amsterdam | Published: February 11 2009 00:45 | Last updated: February 11 2009 00:45

Britain has taken the unusual step of banning a Dutch member of parliament from entering the country due to his stridently anti-Islamic views, prompting the Dutch government to protest. Geert Wilders, who heads the anti-immigration Party for Freedom, had been due to travel to London on Thursday for a screening of his film, Fitna, organised by Lord Pearson of Rannoch, a eurosceptic peer. The film criticises Islam, one of Mr Wilders’ main targets.

LINKS

- Financial Times: Dutch party chief barred from UK

Film Fitna pulled after multiple threats "of a very serious nature" to staff of web host

Film Fitna now on Google video!

Yes, after about 24 hours Geert Wilder's film Fitna was pulled by video-hosting site LifeLeaks, after receiving "a barrage of threats":

In place of the video Friday afternoon, a brief and poignant message appears on-screen: "Following threats to our staff of a very serious nature.... LiveLeak has been left with no choice but to remove Fitna from our servers.

"This is a sad day for freedom of speech on the net.... We would like to thank the thousands of people from all backgrounds and religions who gave us their support."

Google has picked up another copy, shown below:

Fitna (Google Video)

Click the start button (bottom left corner) to see the movie.



LINKS
- Wired.com: Anti-Quan Film Fitna Pulled from Web Due to 'Threats'
- Google Video: Fitna the Movie

Geert Wilders' anti-islam film "Fitna the Movie" (video) - Watch it, NOW!

Update: Due to serious threats made to the staff of LiveLeak, they decided to remove the movie. However, Google Video has picked up a copy: Fitna the Movie

About the movie (Wikipedia)

The sixteen minute movie shows a selection of Suras from the Qur'an, interspersed with partial newspaper clippings and media clips. The movie is accompanied by music from the Peer Gynt suite by Edvard Grieg, specifically Aase's Death (Aase is the mother of Per in the play written by Henrik Ibsen).

The movie starts with a warning, stating that the movie contains "very shocking images". During the title screen, a book is subsequently opened that resembles the Qur'an. A page in the book contains a cartoon from the Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, showing the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb on his head. Next to the cartoon, a timer starts counting down from 15 minutes

The first Sura is introduced, accompanied with Qur'anic recital and English subtitles.

Suras are juxtaposed to video clips of Imams stating Islamic teaching, and videos of violent atrocities committed in the name of Islam. The source for the English translations is unstated.

Al-Anfal, the first Sura of the film, is translated as: "Prepare for them whatever force and cavalry ye are able of gathering, to strike terror, to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies, of Allah and your enemies." Footage of 9/11 is shown, followed by the Madrid train bombings. An Imam declares, "Allah is happy when non-muslims get killed."

The next Sura, An-Nisa, is shown as a justification for Islamic antisemitism. An Imam raising a sword declares: "A Jew is hiding behind me, come and cut off his head. And we shall cut off his head! By Allah, we shall cut it off! Oh Jews! Allahu Akbar! Jihad for the sake of Allah!" An auditorium of several hundred people respond with approving chants and fist shaking.

Following this, a three year old Muslim girl, named Basmallah, calls Jews "apes and pigs" during an interview on Saudi Arabian television channel, Iqra TV^[6]. More antisemitism is shown by another Imam, who states: "The Jews are Jews. They are the ones who must be butchered and killed." Child soldiers are shown uniformed and holding guns.

Still pictures of demonstrators holding banners declaring "God Bless Hitler" and "Be Prepared For the Real Holocaust" are shown.

Sura 47, Verse 4 is shown in relation to the murder of Theo Van Gogh, committed by Mohammed Bouyeri. Bouyer is reported as saying: "If I had the opportunity to get out of prison, and I had the opportunity to do it again, what I did on November 2nd, Allah I would have done exactly the same." Protesters are shown supporting Van Gogh's murder, warning others to heed lessons or "pay with your blood".

Dutch newspaper headlines are reproduced, outlining intimidating threats of murder to prominent questioners of Islam, followed by footage of Jack Hensley's beheading. Hensley's decapitated head is shown held up by Al-Qaeda terrorists.

Sura 4 is heard, and is used to demonstrate Islam's Ummah ideal. The Sura is translated here as: "They but wish that ye should reject faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing as they, so take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah. But if they turn renegades, seize them and kill them wherever ye find them, and take no friends or helpers from their ranks." This is shown through a Vox pop: "If someone converts to Christianity, he deserves the death penalty."

An Imam declares: "Islam is (more) superior than the Jews, than the Christians, than the Buddhists, than the Hindus. The only (law) Allah accepts is Islam."
[more]

LINKS
-Live Leak: Fitna the Movie
- Wikipedia: Fitna the Movie

Screening of Anti-Koran Film Fitna the Movie explained by Radio the Netherlands Worldwide (video, in English)

Whoever wants to understand the context of Geert Wilders' anti-Koran movie "Fitna", please watch this YouTube video (just under 10 minutes). Highly recommended!

From Radio The Netherlands Worldwide



About Fitna, the Netherlands and Wilders

Very rarely has a film sparked off as much pre-release controversy as Dutch MP Geert Wilder’s ‘Fitna,the movie’. Even without knowing what’s in it, 'Fitna’ has got the world asking questions. Questions about the man who made it and his motives, about the country he lives in where his film is allowed. Questions about that country’s government – which issues warnings about the film but does nothing to stop it. And questions about the position of Muslims in The Netherlands. The central character in this film is also struggling with these questions, and decides to travel to The Netherlands in search of answers.

LINKS

- Fitna the Movie
- Wikipedia: Geert Wilders
- Radio Netherlands: About Fitna the Movie

Danish Cartoonist Kurt Westergaard: "A totalitarian power threatens us in Europe"

'A totalitarian power threatens us in Europe'

By Nanda Troost in de Volkskrant
gepubliceerd op 10 maart 2008 01:07, bijgewerkt op 01:07

ÅRHUS - ‘If you want to satirise, you have to provoke first. Satire doesn't come out of the blue.’ Kurt Westergaard gives an old example. During the Spanish Civil War, Nazi Germany, an ally of Franco, bombed the holy Basque city of Guernica. In 1940 an officer in the Luftwaffe asked the artist Pablo Picasso, 'Was that you, did you do Guernica?' 'No,' says Picasso, 'it was you!'

Kurt Westergaard (72) became a political cartoonist late in life. His parents made him get a real job first. 'They used to say that if I was a teacher, I would have the whole blackboard to draw on every day.' As a teacher and later as a head teacher, he drew illustrations for schoolbooks for handicapped children. 'Learning by doing was the philosophy.'

No, Westergaard has no regrets. He wouldn't do anything differently even though he now knows that there are people who want to kill him, more than two and a half years after the infamous 12 cartoons were published in Jyllands-Posten. He still draws every day. He turns to the opinion pages with his cartoon: KW.

– Did you expect this 'second' cartoon crisis?
Westergaard laughs sarcastically. 'Nobody expected this. After the riots in 2006, the deaths, the 5,000 hate mails and the false bomb alerts the paper received, the cartoons were history. But now, papers that were critical at the time have also printed the cartoons. That meant a lot to me, and to Jyllands-Posten. The papers are standing shoulder to shoulder. Jyllands-Posten is a liberal newspaper. People who don't agree with us call us conservative, nationalist even. But we don't run away from a debate. We have always responded to religious obscurities. That's not always easy for the Christian readers we have. I have received messages of support from all over the world. People offer me their homes, in Germany, Israel, the Faeroe Islands.'

– But there have also been unfavourable responses. You had to leave the hotel you were staying in. Your wife was no longer welcome at the kindergarten where she helped out.
'When that happened I did wonder whether we were still welcome here. But the hotel's decision was taken by someone in Brussels. Some years ago in Amman, Jordan, people died when a wedding party was attacked at one of the chain's hotels. And two overzealous civil servants in Århus thought my wife would put the crèche in danger. They apologised later. There is a lot of support for us here, and there's no objection to the costs. Security is expensive, I realise that. It takes 13 people for me to have one bodyguard. How is it with Ayaan Hirsi Ali by the way?'

– Guernica or a bomb in a turban, does everything really have to be said?
'Yes, that's the way we do it here.'

– Even if you know it's offensive?
'Offensive? That's something they'll just have to learn to live with. Politicians are insulted by cartoons every day. We live in a tolerant country and we can do that. Anyone who lives here must accept democracy the way we do it. In Europe, we didn't give in when the Nazis and fascists threatened us or when the communists were at the door. Another totalitarian force is attacking us now. Not the Muslims as a group, of course, but a handful of radicals. You don't give in to them. I am an atheist but I'm not anti-religion. Muslims as a group must realise that religion is a private matter.'

– Aren't you afraid of polarisation?
'If it hadn't been the cartoons, it would have been something else. It was inevitable. The cartoon crisis was a catalyst in a process of adaptation between Muslims and ethnic Danes. There's friction between two cultures: the democratic Danish culture and the religious Muslim culture. The tension will last for many years to come. But the Danish, the west European culture will win.

'Have you heard the joke about a country in the Middle East that has got a rocket to attack the West. When they come to fire it, it won't leave the ground. There are too many people holding on to it so that they can go to the West. And that's the way it is. Muslims want to live here because we have got such good public services. In that respect, this second crisis is a setback for integration. Danes who are tolerant will become less tolerant. The ordinary Dane will wonder why they have come here and we know the answer: the prospects are much better here.'

– There is a fear in the Netherlands that the riots will be repeated, but this time against the Dutch. The film hasn't been released yet but flags have already been burnt in Afghanistan, Danish flags as well.
'I'm very, very sorry that people suffered. But we – I – can't accept any responsibility for what happened. The riots in 2006 were incited by regimes that can't satisfy the needs of their own people. That's where the problem lies, not with us. I wonder just how religiously aware all those young men were. Most of them hadn't even seen the cartoons.

'Muslims have to stop seeing themselves as victims. We've made mistakes, too, I won't deny that. Politicians, including those on the Left, have failed. But that's changing and most Muslims live a very decent life here. They are accepted and we need them. But they have to understand how democracy works and they have to accept our system.'

– Not every Kurt Westergaard is happy.
The cartoonist bursts out laughing. 'No, apparently there are about 16 people called Kurt Westergaard living near here.' Then seriously, 'It is very bad that other people are also being threatened. I said on television that if they want to threaten anyone they should threaten me. I'm the only real one.'

– And you're not scared?
'No,' he repeats, very definitely. 'No. You have no choice but to be brave and you get used to it. It helps that my wife is so supportive. She has never said I shouldn't have drawn that damned cartoon.

'But what does scare me, really scare me, is the role of the Muslim elite. The spokesman for the largest Muslim organisation says that Jyllands-Posten is in the hands of dark Jewish forces that will close the paper down if we don't criticise Muslims. Or the Afghan foreign minister who comes to thank us for our support and soldiers in Afghanistan but talks about extremists in Denmark being of the same calibre as Osama bin Laden. And he's talking about us! If that's how the elite think, what must the ordinary Muslim be thinking?'

– And that damned cartoon?
No, no, no, I am not sorry. I still draw what and how I want to. But this will never end. I have accepted that I will have to live the rest of my life under the protection of the Danish security service.'

Anti-Qur'an Film "Fitna" from Geert Wilders given own website

Wilders' film website goes online

From Radio Netherlands

The Hague - The website for the anti-Qur'an film Fitna by Geert Wilders is online under the name fitnathemovie. There is little to see at the moment: only the cover of the Qur'an with the text "Allahu Akhbar", which means "God is Great" and "Geert Wilders presents Fitna - Coming Soon" against a black background.

Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders announced two weeks ago that his film will be shown on this website. He is also negotiating with television stations to broadcast Fitna.

On Tuesday, Mr Wilders said he was prepared to show the film to the national terrorism coordinator Tjebbe Joustra one day ahead of it being broadcast on the condition that it would not be banned. The MP stresses that his film does not contravene Dutch law.

LINKS
- Radio Netherlands: Wilders' Film Website Goes Online
- Wikipedia: Geert Wilders
- Wikipedia: Film Fitna

Why Geert Wilders' movie Fitna is acceptable to Europeans

The movie that everyone in the Netherlands has been talking about but nobody has seen yet is called Fitna. The coverage of this 10 minute movie by Dutch MP Geert Wilders has been immense, and not only in the Netherlands. Remember the ban on YouTube in Pakistan? And even NATO Boss Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is worried about the possible fallout of the movie.

Many Dutch MPs want the government to do a better job of communicating why the movie will not be banned at forehand. Dutch MP Alexander Pechthold explained it this way:

"The cabinet constantly warns Mr Wilders about the film's consequences. We should address ourselves more to other countries. Here we are accustomed to democracy and freedom of expression but not everyone abroad is.

Elsewhere fundamentalists seize on these sort of films to preach hatred against the West. We have to explain what our fundamental rights represent. Maybe the prime minister should explain the matter on Al Jazeera. Or Mr Ahmed Aboutaleb [the deputy minister for social affairs], who speaks Arabic."

The Netherlands should join forces with other European countries, which have a stake in it too:

"The protests sparked by the Danish cartoons, for example, show this can happen to any country. In fact, we should now form a common front at the EU Council of Ministers. Democracy and freedom of expression are European inventions. But it now looks like each country is left to fend for itself."

No word yet from the Dutch government if they will actually follow suit.

LINKS

- Radio Netherlands: Europe should explain Wilders to world
- NRC Handelsblad: De Hoop Scheffer warns of consequences Wilders film (Google translate from Dutch)
- Wikipedia: Film Fitna
- Wikipedia: Geert Wilders

Film Fitna by Dutch MP Geert Wilders reason for Egypt boycott of Dutch children's film

From Radio Netherlands website:

The International Film Festival for Children in Cairo is boycotting the Dutch entry Where Is Winky's Horse? in protest at the imminent release of an anti-Islam film produced by Dutch MP Geert Wilders. It's the first time that a Dutch product has been boycotted in connection with the controversial film "Fitna" by the leader of the right-wing Freedom Party. The organisers of the festival have also boycotted the Danish entries.

Fitna will be a film in which Geert Wilders is taking the viewer through the Qur'an, he said in an interview with BN-De Stem newspaper on 9 February 2008. Using texts from Islam's Holy Book, and documentary footage, he intends to show that 'the terrible Qur'an is not a dead letter, but that it can cost us our freedom unless we act.'

Fitna means 'ordeal' or 'trial' in Arabic, and usually refers to situations where Muslims' faith is put to the test. The extreme nationalist right-wing MP sees Islam as a trial for Western democracies, after those of nazism and communism.'

Fitna's closing scene will involve a picture of the Prophet Mohammed. 'Something will happen to that picture, but I won't say what,' Mr Wilders said in the interview. Depicting the Prophet is considered a sacrilege by Muslims.

Government action
Two ministers summoned Mr Wilders on 27 February 2008 on behalf of the Dutch cabinet in an attempt to dissuade him from releasing his anti-Qur'an film. The government expects the film to damage the reputation of the Netherlands and to have consequences for Dutch businesses abroad.

The MP was warned that he could face prosecution for bringing out the film. Mr Wilders described the meeting as an attempt at intimidation.

LINKS

- Radio Netherlands: Egypt boycotts Dutch children's film
- Wikipedia: Geert Wilders

Geert Wilders' Anti-Koran Movie Delayed; Wilders opion piece NOW in Dutch national paper De Volkskrant (1)

While Dutch MP is still editing his movie, Netherlands National Anti-Terrorism Coordinator Joustra warned Mr. Wilders that he will most likely have to leave the country due to security concerns.

It is interesting to read Mr. Wilder's opinion piece titled "Netherlands ruled by the Fear for Islam", which will probably be published in the Volkskrant of Wednesday January 23, 2008 (now already online).

In this opinion piece, he's tryng to convince readers that there
's a fundamental difference between Islam and Christianity (rush translation):

"Imagine that when people had learned by the end of November last year that I was going to make a movie about the fascistic character of the Bible. That I had argued in an article that I would want to ban the Bible, and forwarded a motion in the Tweede Kamer (parliament).

Would our prime minister then have used the words "severe crisis" to describe the situation? Would there have been a special [secret] meeting between ministers involved and the National Anti-Terrorism Coordinator? Would the editors-in-chief of several Dutch public news shows have convened to discuss how to approach this release [broadcast or not]? [...]

Would the Vatican, would the nuntius of several archbishops of Catholic countries have uttered a similar message as the muftis of Syria and Jerusalem, namely that I'm responsible for any bloodshed that would take place after the showing of the movie? [...]

Would mayors accross The Netherlands have held meetings with priests and clergymen and ask of them not tobe provoked [by the movie]? Would I have received many tens of death threats in the last few weeks? [...]

Would the Dutch Embassies in contries where many christians live, like Germany and Belgium, have notified their citizens, and would they have made plans for possible evacuations? Would Dutch businesses have been affraid that due to the film, their export of their products to countries with many christians would have been jeopardized? [...]

Of course not.

But now this movie is not about the Bible but about the Koran, now government, media, Muslims and others have been in a hysterical panic? How can this be explained?

First of all, Islam is an intolerant ideology that does not stand criticism. Pictures of the Sooreh Hera, the Satanic Verses of Salman Rushdie, the movie "Submission" from Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Theo van Gogh, Danish cartoons, a joke from Rudi Carrell, the opera "Aisha and the women of Medina, or my movie, time and again severe reaction will come from the Muslim world. There seems to be no place for self-reflection or self-criticism within the Islam, while responsibility and self-control is alien.

part 2 hopefully in my next posting: to be continued....

- Volkskrant: Angst voor islam regeert Nederland, Geert Wilders
- Volkskrant: Wilders-film laat nog paar weken op zich wachten
- All Geert Wilders posts

Will Dutch MP Geert Wilders burn the Koran on National TV? (video)

In name of Theo van Gogh I would say: go ahead, but be prepared.

Not that book burnings are very original....



Among others, Geert Wilders claims that the Koran is used as a "source of inspiration for intolerance [..]".

It looks like he's at least right about that.

Far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders is going to present his anti-Koran movie next week (video)

From the Dutch News show NOVA (video with English subtitles; part of the video is in the English language):

The Dutch government is getting prepared for the possible fallout of the anti-Koran movie by Dutch MP Geert Wilders, that will likely be shown somewhere in the Netherlands next week. All Dutch ministers involved with the possible fallout have discussed the issue with the National Terrorism Coordinator Tjibbe Joustra.

The ministers explained that the movie can't be censored, but stress that the movie is not supported by the dutch population or its government. If Wilders finds a hall prepared to play the movie, then it will be shown next Friday.

The gist of the movie will be something like this:
Wilders: “With the help of existing images I want to show that the Koran is far more violent than all other holy books.

"It's a fascist book, because it inspires people all over the world to the most barbaric deeds, which are contrary to all our laws and values we believe in."

A Dutch branch of the Arabic European League will present a counter-movie on the very same day. "I ask all Muslim leader to be part of this political debate and to be assertive."

The Netherlands is on high alert because of the reactions of the international Muslim community after the Danish Cartoons appeared in a newspaper in 2006. The grand mufti of Syria spoke a few days ago at the European Parliament:

“I ask the Dutch authorities to do something to prevent these kind of provocations of the feelings of one and a half billion Muslims. I also ask from the Dutch Muslims to be wise and to dialogue with those who want to burn their holy book. These kind of cases ask for wisdom, and not for retaliatory measures."

The video includes an interview with Flemming Rose, the Danish journalist who organized the Mohamed cartoon competition, which later on spawned the infamous riots. He's been asked how this upcoming movie will be received in the Islamic community.

- Wikipedia: Geert Wilders
- Wikipedia: Nova
- Wikipedia: Dutch Government
- Nova's website(in Dutch) | original broadcast (mov)