THE GUARDIAN: Dutch far right politician, who was last year banned from the UK, said film showing was a 'victory for freedom of speech'
The controversial far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders appeared at the House of Lords today to screen an anti-Islam film and denounce the religion as "totalitarian" and incompatible with democracy.
The visit, which was originally planned for last year, sparked demonstrations from anti-fascists and a show of support from the far-right English Defence League.
Wilders, 46, who leads the Freedom party, was banned from the UK when Jacqui Smith was home secretary. She said his presence had the potential to "threaten community harmony and therefore public safety".
Wilders succeeded in getting the ban overturned and told a press conference that he had screened his film in the Lords and discussed it afterwards in what he termed a "victory for freedom of speech".
"I had to debate with people who disagreed with me and people who agreed with me," he said.
Wilders said he had "nothing against Muslims whatsoever" but Islam was a "totalitarian religion".
"Islamism and democracy are incompatible. The more Islam we have, the more freedom we will lose and this is something worth fighting for."
Wilders, whose film describes the Koran as a fascist book, has received death threats for denouncing Islam and has been under close protection for more than five years.
This afternoon he repeated the views that have angered Muslims in Europe and across the globe, saying Islam was a "fascist ideology", "a violent and dangerous religion and a retarded culture".
Wilders, who visited the Lords at the invitation of the UK Independence party leader Lord Pearson and the crossbencher Baroness Cox, said: "Cultural relativism is the greatest disease we face in Europe today."
Lord Pearson said that while he and Wilders – "a very great man" – agreed on many things he did not support his Dutch colleague's desire for the Koran to be outlawed.
"If Geert is still calling for the Koran to be banned like Mein Kampf then I would not agree with him," he said. "[But] the Koran should be very much more discussed among the Muslim community."
When Wilders was asked whether he would engage with Muslims who reinterpreted their holy book in a manner more compatible with his views, he replied: "If you tear the hateful passages out of the Koran, you would get Donald Duck."
In any case, he said, Muslims would never abandon the text of what he called "a terrible book". >>> Sam Jones | Friday, March 05, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: In pictures: Protests for and against the visit of Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders >>> | Friday, March 05, 2010
MY ESSAY: Islam: The Enemy of Democracy and Freedom >>> Mark Alexander | Friday, April 20, 2007
