My oh my, Geert Wilders really does seem to have got you rattled, Mr Macintyre.
But let’s get some facts straight. Geert Wilders is not “far-right” just because he states truths that you, Mr Macintyre, don’t want to hear. This is clearly a case of shooting the messenger, and one of trying to shoot him down with ad hominem attacks. Geert Wilders is merely pointing out the dangers of the growth of Islam in his country. The Channel 4 documentary, Dispatches, entitled 'Britain's Islamic Republic', testifies to the validity of what Mr Wilders says.
In a free society, we should be allowed to hear and say things which may not be popular. It’s called ‘free speech’, remember? It’s what our ancestors died for.
So if Muslims don’t want to hear what Mr Wilders has to say, then it’s just too bad. We so-called infidels don’t want to hear half the nonsense and abuse that Muslims come out with either, but nobody has the courage to shut them up. By the way, Mr Macintyre, it’s Muslims who are trying to kill us, not the other way round. Your logic seems to be warped and twisted. – © Mark
TIMES ONLINE: Boyish, topped with a bouffant mane of bleached blond hair, cheerful and cherubic, Geert Wilders is the unlikely new face of the far Right in Europe. But appearances are deceptive. The leader of the Dutch anti-immigration Freedom Party has emerged as one of the most divisive politicians in Europe, the purveyor of a virulent brand of anti-Islamic rhetoric that calls for a tax on Islamic headscarves and a ban on the Koran, which he likens to Mein Kampf.
Mr Wilders is facing trial in a Dutch court for “inciting hatred”. Last year he was banned from Britain and turned away at Heathrow when he arrived here planning to show his short film, an incendiary anti-Islamic diatribe that the Dutch Prime Minister described as serving “no purpose other than to offend”.
On Friday, after successfully appealing against the Home Office ban, Mr Wilders will return to Britain at the invitation of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) to show his controversial film to an invited audience at the House of Lords. The English Defence League is expected to demonstrate in his support and Muslim groups are all but certain to mount protests.
To his enemies, the 46-year-old Dutchman is an old-fashioned racist demagogue in a new suit; a bottle-blond bigot. To his growing ranks of supporters he is a champion of free speech, a bulwark against what he calls “the Islamic invasion of Holland”. He may be dismissed by some as a crank but he is an increasingly powerful and popular one. On February 20 the Dutch centrist coalition Government collapsed, deeply divided over keeping troops in Afghanistan, paving the way for a general election in June in which the Freedom Party is expected to do extremely well. Polls suggest that the party will triple its tally of seats, becoming at least the second-biggest parliamentary party and quite possibly the overall winner. Mr Wilders is likely to be a key player in any coalition, with a profound impact on the political agenda. >>> Ben Macintyre | Wednesday, March 03, 2010
