Sub Sea Level News for the Freedom of Expression

This is the kind of inhumane treatment of minors that can get an otherwise civilized country into deep trouble with the ethical UN human rights watchdogs:

Dutch News: "20-year sentence for 17-year-old"

A 17-year-old boy was sentenced to 20 years in jail on Wednesday afternoon for his part in the May 2008 murder of an Amsterdam garage owner during an argument over a car (...) >>>

... and there's the news you won't find in Dutch News ...

Elsevier: "Jewish Sinai Center Under Assault" (free translation)

Unknown persons opened fire on the Jewish Sinai Psychiatric Center south of Amsterdam yesterday. The case marks an escalation compared with the more usual incendiary devices. Ronny Naftaniël, director of the Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI) speaks of the next phase in antisemitism in the Netherlands (...) >>>

Elsevier: Cartoonist Gregory Nekschot performs in Denmark dressed in niqab (free translation)

Funnies draftsman Nekschot has spoken out about his Islam-critical drawings and the freedom of expression for the first time since his unceremoneous arrest last year. (...) >>>

Read all about that razzia in "Deeper Under the Eurofascist Jackboot", "Of Christian Ethics: Muzzles and Jackboots" and "The Postmodern Weimar Republic".

Nekschot is in Denmark at the invitation of the International Free Press Society. He delivered a speech dressed in the top-to-bottom style black bag called a niqab, symbol for the 'prison' he's been living in since that time.

You can read all about it on the site of the International Free Press Society. Danish blogger Snaphanen has the text of the speech, as well as video footage of the delivery.

While certainly not flawless, Nekschot's analysis does reach a new level of understanding the ideological mess and hopefully contributes towards disentangling some of the confusion.

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

Of Christian Ethics: Muzzles and Jackboots

In a last week's post "Deeper Under the Eurofascist Jackboot" we reported the plight of a Dutch cartoonist, Gregory Nekschot. The name is an uncannily apt pseudonym considering the circumstances. Nekschot means 'a shot in the neck', the tots' choice of execution for enemies of the state. Nekschot's home was searched and the artist had his means of living confiscated by the overwhelming power of a ten men police squad. He himself was arrested, interrogated and thrown in jail.

A public discourse ensued. The intimidating circumstances were subject of a parliamentary debate yesterday, a number of MPs to their credit expressing worry and outrage. It was also debated if the prosecution service have performed their duties as is expected of them. It is fairly obvious a number of 'technical' mistakes were made. The Minister of Justice, while defending the action as a whole, has tacitly admitted as much. Surprisingly, promising more answers he's still in office today!

The investigation was triggered by an unborn Dutch Muslim known by the name of Abdul-Jabbar Van de Ven, a 'calvinist' imam moonlighting as chairman of the Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI), which is financed by bin Laden. The investigation of Nekschot had taken three years to complete because the police were unable to pinpoint the identity behind the Nekschot pseudonym. The computer needed confiscating to establish if the offensive drawings were uploaded from this particular apparatus. Never mind the details of this load of bovine manure.

But in a country where the rule of law reigns supreme no one is supposed to question cases in public while a trial is pending. Which is all very well, but isn't the rule of law itself in danger here by state censorship and intimidation, and by enforced 'self'-censorship of the press and the public at large?

Nekschot doesn't advocate the extermination of individuals or groups of people, nor does he call for entire nations to be driven into the sea, a common fixture on social networking sites such as FaceBook. Nekschot draws cartoons, pen and satire are his weapons (Pomos, this is what is commonly referred to as 'metaphor,' so don't even think of pressing charges for illegal carrying).

One of the parties in government, to which also the Justice Minister belongs - the Christian Democrats (CDA) - have embraced the interests of Muslims as their own on the basis of them being all 'believers.' A few months ago we had another episode with a CDA party member screaming "fasc!" at Libertarian Wilders for speaking out against encroaching Islamization.

The ethics of this party are getting more questionable by the day. In the Dutch political landscape the CDA party has historically a pivotal role between the Leftist Labour and the 'Rightist' free-market Liberals. No party can govern in its own right and the Christians have the choice of going 'either way.'

They have governed for years with the Liberals, backing free-market policies, less rules and regulations, a small(er) government, curbing benefits and discouraging asylum. At present in government with the Socialists, they have effortlessly performed an U-turn on essentials, backed down from their own past policies and started catering to the forces of darkness, which apparently includes muzzling Islam-critical cartoonists.

On the other hand - let's not kid ourselves. In the European Union of today the sovereign nation is a thing of the past. Thanks to political obscurantism and contempt of democratic principles in the face of Hegelian historical events, we have no way of knowing to what extent the unelected Commission is actually in power, by proxy of national governments.

-Caption: cartoon by Nekschot: "The faithful are allowed more than others - I am allowed to set up camp in public places." -

It is the new-found duty of parliaments to rubber-stamp whatever is pouring through the Brussels pipe-line. And national governments bear the brunt of the neotot policies without ever implicating the Brussels behemoth, because too much criticism might endanger 'the project,' which - as we know - foresees in expanding Europe into Turkey, the African Maghreb and the Middle Eastern Mashriq. The implications of such plans might be obvious to any realistic observer.

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

Deeper under the Eurofascist Jackboot

In a post yesterday EURSOC reported on an inside-out, upside-down case of moral inversion in the UK. A couple of years ago a Channel Four documentary crew smuggled cameras into a number of English mosques and recorded footage of extremist preachers at work. The footage was broadcast under the title 'Undercover Mosque.'

"The documentary caught the attention of the Crown Prosecution Service and the West Midlands Police. Frenzied clerics preaching fundamentalist hatred in the heart of Britain? Surely these are the sort of people anti-hate speech laws ought to be protecting us against. Perhaps the culprits could be deported, as their counterparts are in France? Unfortunately not. The CPS and Police investigated the film makers, accusing them of selective editing, distortion and "undermining community relations."

The police took what newspapers describe as the "highly unusual step" of referring the programme-makers to OFCOM, the media watchdog; OFCOM rejected their complaint.
The production team and Channel Four then brought legal action against the police and CPS."

They won the case, and yesterday both the West Midlands Police and CPS were making public apologies in the High Court. Read all about it here.

In The Netherlands meanwhile cartoonist Gregory Nekschot is not so lucky. He's been arrested and might well be prosecuted and convicted under the new Euro legislation covering 'hate crimes.' Here's the case as reported by De Telegraaf newspaper:

"Cartoonist Gregory Netschot is fearing for his life after he was arrested by police at his house last Saturday. "Got you", he was told by arresting officers. The cartoonist was working at his home when a ten men squad entered the premises.

"Immediately on arrival they began photographing and searching", Nekschot told a local newspaper. At the police station he was interrogated twice and thrown in jail overnight.

"When I returned home I found my computer, CDs, memory stick and cell phone had been confiscated. All the stuff I need to work," says Gregory. He says Islam is a regular subject. Last year a book on his controversial work was published. There wasn't much response, but my work goes further than the Danish cartoons.

"That's what the officers told me: "What you do is much worse than what they did in Denmark. Do you realize what it means if your identity became known?" "I replied that in that case he was loading a heavy responsibility on himself."

The cartoonist doesn't feel safe anymore. "What I do is not trivial, I know what the consequences might be. That is why I fear a conviction. In jail my life is at risk," he told the newspaper."

Only just now parliament are crying foul over the legal muzzling! While criminals and hoodlums are terrorising entire city boroughs with impunity, this 'hate crime' investigation would appear to have been in the works for the last three years.

As present blogger is facing a return from glorious exile in Greece back to the native Netherlands, we might well be next. In fact, all who refuse submission might sooner or later expect an overnight visit from the Eustapo.

Here's a link to Nekschot's blog (in Dutch) (caution: not for sensitive souls).

And here's an interview he had with Danish television back in February (in Danish and English). Most cartoonists are practising self-censorship these days. We are getting deeper and deeper under the Eurofascist jackboot every day!



Update:

The problem is Postmodern relativism, which falsely equivalences all with everything. It is summed up in a comment by 'a voice of reason' on Elsevier: "If there are no limits to the freedom of expression soon even Hezbollah propaganda will have to be allowed." Why, oh why would the Netherlands ever have to allow Hezbollah propaganda? It calls for the destruction of Israel. Is Nekschot propagating the destruction of Jews, Muslims or any other group? Isn't Hezbollah a terrorist organization based in the Middle East? And wasn't the subject the freedom of expression in the Netherlands? As long as this is the line of 'thinking people' the defence of the realm is doomed to failure. I'd like to talk to Mr Lucas, should this post ever reach him by a twist of fate.

- Filed on Articles in "In Defence of Liberty: muzzle 'em" -