EU parliament prevents screening of Wilders’s film on Islam

This just in from Agence France Presse:

STRASBOURG (AFP)—The EU parliament prevented the showing on Wednesday of an anti-Islamic film made by far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders, bringing cries of censorship from the British eurodeputy who organised the screening.

“The banning of this film is a direct attack on free speech,” said British MEP Gerard Batten, who had organised the event, though officials pointed out that parliamentary leaders had banned the film from being shown in their Strasbourg building back in March.

“A parliament that constantly talks of freedom, democracy and tolerance has shown once again that these are empty words when it does not agree with what is being said,” added Batten, a member of the eurosceptic UK Independence Party (UKIP).

The 17-minute film called “Fitna,” which in Arabic means war, or division, in the heart of Islam, has been called “offensively anti-Islamic” by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

A spokeswoman for the parliament’s presidency said the decision not to allow the film to be shown had been taken by parliamentary president Hans-Gert Poettering and party leaders back in March, after it caused “problems” when shown in the Netherlands.

After the Dutch screening there were protests in Pakistan, Iran, Indonesia and Afghanistan.

Featuring shocking imagery of the attacks on New York in 2001 and Madrid in 2004 combined with quotes from the Koran, Islam’s holy book, it has drawn protests and outrage in some Muslim countries.

Batten said that at the same time the parliament in Strasbourg was awarding its Sakharov Prize in absentia to jailed Chinese dissident Hu Jia, European party leaders “deny free speech to one of its own members”.

Wilders, who was in the parliament building hoping to see the film in a screening room, said he intended to present it during European parliamentary elections next June.

“We are in discussion with other parties,” he said, without giving details.

Green group co-president Daniel Cohn-Bendit said his group had been opposed to the ban at the time the decision was taken in March.

“In principle we are against bans,” he said, “but the other groups followed the president’s decision.”

Wilders is the head of the Freedom Party, which has nine seats in the Dutch parliament.

He has called for the banning of the Koran in the Netherlands, calling it “fascist.”

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Gilbert B. writes from the Netherlands:

As expected the European Parliament has banned Wilders’ movie!—

And here:

Indeed: Our own leaders are the enemy; they are providing Islam with the means to defeat our Western democracies.—

Wilders said. We have to win the war against Islam. If we don’t … we will lose our cultural identity, our rule of law, our liberties and our freedom.

I’m am glad I’m on the same wave length as Geert Wilders.

See also the comments posted below the same article.

* * *

Before I received the AFP article above, a knowledgeable correspondent in Europe sent this announcement of the cancellation of the movie:

SHOWING OF THE FILM FITNA BANNED BY ORDER OF THE CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS

It is with great regret that I have to announce the cancellation of the showing of the film Fitna at the meeting with Mr Geert Wilders MP today at 2pm.

I was informed of this decision today.

Nevertheless a press conference will take place at 2pm in room R 3.1 with Mr Wilders and myself.

The banning of this film is a direct attack on free speech. A parliament that constantly talks of freedom, democracy and tolerance has shown once again that these are empty words when it does not agree with what is being said.

On the same day that the European Parliament awards the Sakharov Prize to the Chinese freedom campaigner Hu Jia the Conference of Presidents deny free speech to one of its own members.

The press conference is open to MEPs and their assistants as well as accredited members of the press.

Anyone who wishes to view Fitna before the meeting can do so by going here.

Yours sincerely,
Gerard Batten MEP
UK Independence Party

LA to correspondent:

Where was it going to be shown, and who banned it?

Correspondent replied:

In one of the conference rooms of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg.

It was banned by the Conference of Presidents, i.e. the leaders of the various political groups in the Parliament

LA to correspondent:

So the top political level of the European parliament got together and voted to prohibit a meeting and the showing of a movie in a conference room?

Correspondent replies:

That is indeed what happened.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at December 17, 2008 01:40 PM | Send