Geert Wilders: Persona Non Grata in Britain

Sit down for this one.

On behalf of the British Government, her Majesty's ambassador to the Netherlands has served Dutch MP Geert Wilders today with a letter, declaring him persona non grata in UK.

Wilders is due on Thursday for a screening of his short film "Fitna" on the invitation of Lord Malcolm Pearson, member of the House of Lords for the euroskeptic UK Independence Party.

Wilders will be arrested on entering the U.K. The official ground for Wilders' banning is "endangering community harmony and therefore the public safety".

Wilders: "Great Britain is sacrificing the freedom of speech. You would expect something like this to happen in a country like Saudi Arabia, but not in Great Britain. This cowardly act by the British government is a disgrace. I was invited by a British member of parliament."

The Dutch Foreign Minister as well the House Speaker have protested the British Government's decision.

The British Labour Government have nothing to say for themselves, declining to "comment on individual cases". (At the moment of publishing we are anxiously awaiting tonight's broadcast of News Night - forget it: story has been buried by the BBC).

The invitation is actually an extension of an earlier request. The screening at the Lords had originally been planned for January 29 , but was postponed because Lord Nazi Ahmed, a Muslim member of the House of Lords (Labour), had threatened to take 10,000 Muslims to the streets to physically prevent Wilders from entering the House.

Lord Malcolm denies the postponement was in reaction to the threats. If Wilders doesn't show or gets arrested, screening of "Fitna" will take place nevertheless. Also on the program is a 1999 production called "Kill or be Killed", an even more "inflammatory" document than Wilders' indictment of the Koran. Afterwards a panel discussion will be held with Muslim scholars.

Wilders meanwhile, is pondering to travel any way and dare the British to throw him in jail the moment he presents himself at Heathrow airport.

In case you're wondering how things could have come this far, watch this (no, your eyes are not deceiving you: this is the proud Metropolitan police force being chased through the streets of London by demonstrating thugs).



Contribute here to Wilders' legal fund.

Read more on the case on the site of the International Free Press Society.

You can Digg It here.

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