Live Blogging "Geert Goes to London" and Back ...

... or the diplomatic adventures of a intrepid parliamentarian.

The Channel 4 footage shown here earlier can now be viewed on VodPod.

Wilders' plane took off from Amsterdam Schiphol airport some time before 14:00 hours l.t.

At the other side of the pond a rare occurrence in diplomatic terms, the Dutch ambassador to the U.K. will be present to smooth things over, should that be necessary given the British "presumption in favour of exclusion".

- Caption: Wilders at Schiphol Airport, courtesy Robert Vos, ANP -

This story has the potential to turn into a full blown diplomatic row.

Wilders' party (PVV) has called for an emergency debate in Parliament with PM Balkenende and Foreign Minister Verhagen.

Wilders has been overwhelmed the last few days with letters of support from Brits who see the necessity to stand firm for the freedom of speech. According to Wilders this just goes to show that fear of Islam reigns in the United Kingdom.

A recent poll in the Daily Mail shows that an overwhelming majority of participants think Wilders should be allowed to address the House of Lords (currently at 84%).

Updating throughout:

De Pers is reporting that according to a spokesperson of the UK Border Agency Wilders is currently being held at the Customs area pending his deportation. Wilders will officially protest against his detention.

Before his departure at Amsterdam airport Wilders called for Muslims in the UK - including Lord Ahmed - to participate in a debate. Some months ago Wilders extended the same invitation to Muslims in the Netherlands, but to no avail.

On board the plane to the UK Wilders told a Times reporter he thinks the British Government are the most cowardly of Europe. "It's easy to invite to your country people with whom you agree. Tolerance implies accepting those with whom you don't agree". See footage here aboard the plane.

De Telegraaf is posting that upon arrival at Heathrow airport Wilders was the first to disembark. He was led to a Customs office, photographers and reporters in hot pursuit. "Chaotic scenes" are reported.

Wilders will be on a flight back to Amsterdam within an hour or two. He's texted to reporters: "I'm in the detention center in a small room with a table, a chair and a lamp pending my deportation. They haven't told me what time and what flight I'm on, but they told me I'm to depart within two hours".

Enigma: where is the Dutch ambassador ...? He's surfaced: he's tried until the very last moment in get Wilders into the country and has conveyed to Her Majesty's Government the non-amusement of the other Majesty's Government. In official parlance, "We regret this decision."

Wilders himself is less diplomatic: he has called British PM Gordon Brown the greatest coward in all the Europe"! He's had a 47 seconds altercation with Home Office officials and that was about it. "It's not just a slap in my face, but also in the freedom of expression's"!

In the meantime this BBC site is being bombarded with furious messages from all over Europe (only a selection is posted).

Watch this slide show of the day so far.

De Telegraaf is reporting that Wilders has been escorted back on a flight by a squad of some ten police officers. That plane has already landed safely back at Amsterdam airport.

Dutch public television shows Lord Ahmed as rageboy, fists punching London's clouded skies, living proof that Wilders is indeed inciting hatred ...

... and speech impediments ... British Foreign Secretary David Miliband is running out of superlatives, adjectives and tautologies - he told the BBC that Wilders is guilty of "extreme anti-Muslim hate" (try getting your head around that!) ... when someone starts expressing himself in such terms, you know for sure something has gone terribly wrong in the mental department!

Melanie Phillips in an apt analysis is spot on the reversal of morality that is taking place in the time-honored game of blame the messenger:

The Spectator: "Britain capitulates to terror"

So let’s get this straight. The British government allows people to march through British streets screaming support for Hamas, it allows Hizb ut Tahrir to recruit on campus for the jihad against Britain and the west, it takes no action against a Muslim peer who threatens mass intimidation of Parliament, but it bans from the country a member of parliament of a European democracy who wishes to address the British Parliament on the threat to life and liberty in the west from religious fascism.

It is he, not them, who is considered a ‘serious threat to one of the fundamental interests of society’. Why? Because the result of this stand for life and liberty against those who would destroy them might be an attack by violent thugs. The response is not to face down such a threat of violence but to capitulate to it instead. (...) >>>

Wilders has a new English language site. It also contains a link to a PayPal account where you can donate to his legal fund. This courageous man is standing up for everyone's liberty of speech ... give generously!

Another hero speaks out, Mark Steyn:

NRO/The Corner: "The Arrest of Geert Wilders"

(...) a sad comment on a land that was once a crucible of freedom. As to the judgment of the British Home Office, they have no problem admitting to the United Kingdom the likes of Dr Ijaz Mian, who preached as follows at the Ahl-e-Hadith mosque in Derby: "You cannot accept the rule of the kaffir. (...) You are in a situation in which you have to live like a state-within-a-state - until you take over." And so it goes: Multiculti England will tolerate any intolerance, except the guy who points out the intolerance. We can't tolerate that. >>>

- Filed on Articles in "In Defense of Liberty" -