A Good Day: Geert Wilders May Now Visit Britain

Victor Southern

Was he not denied entry by Jacqui Smith? Was it not Jacqui Smith who was complicit in the unreasonable detention of Damian Green? And the same Jacqui Smith was forced to apologise yesterday in the House.

All this in 2 days which show that Brown should never have appointed her as Home Secretary. She acted arbitrarily at all times.

James Strong

I am a fan of Geert Wilders.
His short film, Fitna, tells the truth. He has the courage to confront mohammedanism in the world of ideas.
This confrontation is, unfortunately, essential.
There must be no appeasement of mohammedan fascists.

Frank

A good day indeed; but it is shameful that the episode occurred at all.

Verity

Geert Wilders is "a nasty piece of work"? Can you tell us how you came to this conclusion. Which parts of his critique of The Q'ran do you disagree with, and why?

Herbert Thornton

I realise that you must feel you have some basis for disagreeing with Geert Wilders, but what are your reasons?

If you have no strong and persuasive moral basis for your disagreement with him, then to call him "a nasty piece of work" leaves us in the dark and amounts to no more than shouting personal abuse.

John

I'm not sure there's any reason apart from political correctness and the desire not to be bumped off á la Fortuyn and van Gogh for rejecting G. Wilders. He has had the uncommon courage to stand up and say what huge numbers of his, and our, fellow-citizens think but daren't say.. No-one who is in the least bit well-informed can have failed to realize that the whole of Europe is being taken over by the Muslims by stealth, largely as the result of agreements made with the Muslim oil-producing countries in 1973 to allow as many Muslims into Europe as wanted to come. This is the age-old Trojan Horse strategy - suddenly one wakes up to find overpowering numbers of the enemy within the gates. After the rout of the Turks at the gates of Vienna in 1683 the Muslims didn't suddenly forget about their desire to conquer and convert Europe - they're just going about it a different way now. Wilders sees what is happening and tries to warn us, but we seem suicidally set upon the route to our own destruction. He has one of the most urgent messages possible to deliver yet no-one wants ti listen. That he can now come here is a definite victory for free speech and tolerance.

YA

Could the author please explain "a nasty piece of work" expression?
Remind a context - Geert Wilders won 17% of Dutch votes in recent EU elections. He lives under 24/7 police protection because of death threats from Islamic terrorists whom he upsets.
Or you explain that phrase or stop writing this column. Because it looks like your automatic lefti snobbery ("a-la Orwell") goes first, and facts and analysis second. Geert Wilders has courage to stand for your freedom, too.

Mick

Herbert, try following the links 'here' 'here' and 'here'

Wilhelm

I always find it amusing when people like Alex Massie gush about freedom of speech and the next minute they squeeel '' I wish that Geert Wilders would shut his trap and go away.'' No contradiction there then. When was the last time a Dutchman hijacked an airplane and flew it into a skyscraper, Alex ?

Game Set and Match to Wilhelm

Russell Seitz

Or a very bad day, given the cognitive dissonance Mr. Massies's remarks in The Daily Beast arouses

If he really wonders how America can stomach its neanderthal yack TV pundits , he need only read the mirrored musings of such virtual
Becks as Phillips on foreign affairs and Nelson on climate science

Dee Coombes

Yes, Jacqui Smith. The same Ms Smith that banned Michael Savage from Britain. Strange that Ahmadinejad, who has vowed to wipe Israel off the map, is not on her list of undesirables. Oh, but of course, he's not Christian or Jewish.

MaxSceptic

Alex, why is he a 'nasty piece of work'?

Compare him to our MPs:

Has he ever lied? Oppressed us with a myriad of petty and/or obtrusive laws? Or ripped off the British taxpayer?

Alex Massie

I've made my view on Wilders pretty clear - see the three links in the post above - on a number of occasions so I didn't think there any pressing need to go over that ground again.

And in any event, my views on Wilders' views are a seperate matter from the question of whether he should be barred from Britain. I've consistently, Wilhelm et al, argued that Jacqui Smith's decision was wrong. Hence I welcome it being over-turned. Equally, I've defended Wilders' right to express his opinions and see no contradiction between this position and my views on other freedom-of-expression issues.

Verity

What is "nasty", Alec, about a determination to preserve hard-won freedoms?

Mr Wilders is an MP legally elected by the Dutch voters, and Jacqui Smith is an MP legally elected by British voters.

Frankly, who would you rather see having a say in governance over you?

Emma Royds

Great news about Geert Wilders. There was I thinking that the only way of getting yourself banned from entering Britain is to speak the truth about Islam as he has been doing, and the only way to be sure of getting in is to be an Islamic extremist seeking safe haven. Let's hope that invitation to show Fitna at the House of Lords is renewed. Alex, we are all entitled to our opinions. The truth about Islam is nasty but opening our eyes to it is not. I fully support Geert Wilders.

THX1138

It's a bit rich for a man who calls for a ban on the Koran to become the champion of free speech

Wilders is a nasty little racist bigot but just like the new tactics of the BNP here he does not speak of race, but rather of freedom. His method is to expose the intolerance of Muslims by provoking them. If they react to his insults, he can claim that they are a threat to our native liberties. And if anyone should point out that deliberately giving offense to Muslims is neither the best way to lower social tensions nor to protect our freedoms, Mr. Wilders will denounce them as "cultural elitist" appeasing “Islamo-fascism.”

Wilders speaks of the “Islamicization, of Eurupe and the march of Islamo-fascism.” across the continent , since Muslims still constitute a small minority, and most are not extremists, this is an exaggerated fear, even though the danger of Islamist violence must be taken seriously. Wilders however believes that there is no such thing as a moderate Muslim and that they should all be treated as swivel eyed Jihadis intend on our destruction

Interestingly the reaction of Muslims in The Netherlands to his gruppy little film was exemplary, a Dutch Muslim TV station offered to broadcast the film, after all other stations had refused, the grand champion of free speech resolutely turned them down.

Herbert Thornton

Mick - You suggest that I should "follow the links here, here and here".

I had already done so, Mick, but they too were characterised by the writing of abuse and by the lack of sound reasons.

Geert Wilders is a realist. His documentary 'Fitna' is a scholarly presentation that should be more widely distributed and publicised because it exposes the true nature of the menace that threatens all civilisations.

Florence of Arabia

Numberplate, as ever, barking in the wrong alley. He styles Wilders a "nasty little racist bigot". Numberplate, could you give us the genetic make-up of the race of Islam, please? How does it differ from the five other races?

When was it recognized that Islam is a race? I didn’t know there were any new races on planet earth, yet Islam’s only been going since around the 8th Century, so how did that race suddenly appear? It’s a real puzzle. Mohammad would have been a Semite, being Arab and all. So how did he do a quick panto change into the race of Islam?

All very puzzling, but I do look forward to your explanation.

Verity

Number Plate - you do understand that you have libelled Mr Wilders, do you?

I am thoughtfully going to forward your unsupported post to his office. You also libelled me on Conservative Cabbie about a month ago - dubbing me a racist - and yes, actually, I do have an attorney in the US - and I was going to make an issue of it, but Conservative Cabbie, who is trying so hard to make his blog work and grow, doesn't deserve that and I let it drop.

I suggest that you watch what ignorant (you don't seem to understand what a race is) and angry unsubstantiated imaginings you have henceforth or someone will call you on your lack of temperance. It's even easier to sue for libel in Britain than in most of the US, which is why we now have libel tourism. I am surprised that your comment got through The Speccie team.

Emma Royds

Number Plate, you don’t seem to know very much about Geert Wilders, the Koran or Islam. You are in error when you state that Mr. Wilders believes there is no such thing as moderate muslims. He does not say that. He rightly says that there is no such thing as moderate Islam. There cannot be because the Koran preaches violence, hatred and intolerance towards non-muslims and the historical facts fully support this. Thus while most muslims are moderate it doesn’t follow that Islam too is moderate because it is exactly the opposite. Perhaps you could answer these questions? If Islam is so tolerant, why are there so many misguided muslims who have turned to extremism or support it across the world and why have they got the “peaceful, tolerant, compassionate and loving” message of the Koran so wrong? Should it be banned? If following to the letter the teachings of a book causes large numbers of people to indulge in extreme violence towards others who don’t believe as they do, what would you do with it? As for a Dutch muslim TV station offering to broadcast Fitna, that is very much an exception to the rule. Muslim outrage at perceived insults often has violent results. Look at the response to the Danish cartoons or the death sentence hanging over Geert Wilders for the crime of speaking the truth.

Beer Moth

THX 1138

"It's a bit rich for a man who calls for a ban on the Koran to become the champion of free speech"

Well, if the Koran itself demands actions which inhibit, even prohibit, free speech, then anyone who speaks against such stricture, is indeed a champion of free speech.

No inconsistency, irony or 'richness' in this at all.