Dutch MP banned from the UK for being, well, racist I guess.

[itsxpaperdoll]

..altough I believe the official term is anti-Islamic.

BBC NEWS | UK | UK Politics | Dutch MP banned from entering UK
BBC NEWS | UK | UK Politics | UK's ban of Dutch MP criticised

I don't know what to think about this. Technically, I'm a firm proponent of, I believe it was Voltaire (although it isn't exactly clear whether he actually said it), who said "I detest what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it", and therefore I think it is ridiculous to ban someone from a country in our modern, enlightened day and age for saying something nasty.

However, I can understand why they might want to. Geert Wilders isn't just negative about some extreme forms of Islam, like, I guess, most of us. In his opinion, everyone who believes in Allah is a potential terrorist and, terrorist or not, definitely a threat to Dutch culture (whatever that may be). To a certain extent I agree with him on this, because slightly less than half of Dutch muslims are extremely badly integrated, and people who've lived here for two generations sometimes barely speak Dutch, but this isn't something that can and will be solved by saying they're terrorists, on the contrary, it makes matters worse.

But he's a human, he's not Hitler, he doesn't want to commit genocide (although some of his remarks are extremely xenophobic and bordering on plain racism), and, above all, he's a politician who's defending, albeit clumsily, one of the most important rights we, as people living in a post-enlightenment society, have: the one of free speech. Within the Netherlands, we can judge him, ridicule him, charge him for inciting hatred (btw, he said, more or less quoting Voltaire like I just did, that Gerard Spong, the lawyer who sort of started the trial against him should get police protection after he received death threaths, which I thought extremely polite of him), because he is a Dutch citizen and he represents us in government and if he messes that up, we can be angry at him for that. But since when can we forbid a politician, who's invited by people from a country, to enter that country?
In all ways, it will make things worse. It will confirm his most extreme followers (and maybe even himself) in their belief that Muslims are taking over the world, it throws us a couple of hundred years back and it's practically a victory for radical Islam.
Plus, why are we so scared of a tiny group of people that we decide it's okay to ignore someone's right to travel wherever he wants to?


/rant.

Wow, I honestly never thought I would try to defend Wilders like this. But this is seriously, here it comes, political correctness at its most perverted. Blech.

 

[Perny]

I think the case is stupid! He should be able to come to Britain no matter what he believes. The case kinda goes against free speech, and your right to have an opinion

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

I am furious with my government for not letting this man in.
What he is spouting is detestable BUT he should be allowed to say it because you only add credence to his claims if you make him a victim (which he is) and he shouts that we're sanctioning moves against free speech.

The way you deal with his hate spreading is by letting him air his views in public THEN hold a debate and show the country why he is wrong.

 

[Angel's vision]

I feel that it is a result of Muslims (NOT ALL) who allow their rights to supersede other's wether it be religion or free speach at the expence of non muslims.
That makes people xenophobic towards Islam. If Muslims allowed people (non muslims that is) to choose where to build their place of worship, talk freely about their beliefs without them going all Hitler about it,and blowing up innocents because certain verses are open to misinterpretation, in the Muslim countries, and nonmuslim ones, then there would not be anti Muslim material produced. I'm not endorsing what this man has said, or is saying at all.

Personally we in britain should not give them opportunity to violate rights of other's so their one sided views can be upheld. It works both ways. I don't like the religion, but I do not like the right of any Muslim or non Muslim taken away to say what they believe. (Radical views not included)

 

[Lindsey McDonald]

It makes me uneasy. I don't like it. It seems very reactionary and cowardly.

However. I do not know all the facts. I cannot know all the facts. All I know is that the Home Office have said that his views and opinions were not the only consideration. He has been charged with inciting racial hatred, and so I'm thinking that there may actually be something to the Government's claims that he is a danger to public safety - the actual reason given for his being turned away.

So, yeah. I don't like it, but I'm not going to tear anyone to shreds over it. I think it right that the Home Office should be questioned over it, but I think their justification isn't too unreasonable.

Then again, it could be a load of twaddle.

And anyway, the stuff he has said was disgusting, and he ain't going about earning the benefit of my doubt the right way...

 

[Uncle Rory]

The value and respect for Free Speach VS. Racism.

So it's racist to say blah, blah, blah about any particular group of people. Most people would agree.

And if what that one person says just happens to be true?

The fact that many nations happen to have been founded upon the tenent of "Freedom of Religion" doesn't negate the fact that there are some very corrupt and vile religious practices out there.

Like that old T-Shirt "Just because I'm PARANOID doesn't mean that everybody isn't out to get me."

I try to keep an open mind about these things but if you were to ask me whether Canada (my home country) benefitted between 1963 when I was born until now by adopting a policy of Multi-culturalism I would not be able to give you a 100% thumbs up. There are advantages but unfortunately in the last 20 years the disadvantages have increased drastically, mostly due to immigrants from global hotspots coming in who cannot shake their home turf grudges against whichever society they feel oppresses them.

This didn't happen with the wave or Vietnamese that came in in the 70's nor the Latinos that came in in the 80's but with people from INDOCTRINATED cultures as is prevalent in the Middle East - big problems.

I left Canada in part because I prefer to be a minority in a foreign country than be a majority in my own country. They need me and like me here in Mexico. Many people came in to Canada on a refugee visa or were rescued from some terrible situation in another country and it's obvious that their propensity for HATRED as per their homegrown indoctrination just makes them that much more suseptible to HATRED in general.

I once worked with a guy who had been a prisoner of Saddam Hussein's Provincial Guard (or whatever they were called - his most badass soldiers) They had actually poured almost boiling water into his eyes. He was lucky not to be blinded. Canada, through the red cross sponsored him, brought him to Canada and gave him a better life and know what? He absolutely hated Canadians.

So are the ideas and words of that Dutch politician RACIST? Don't know, I don't live in Holland.

Maybe Racism should be judged like slander. It's not slander if it's true.

As for the folks who had their lives saved by being brought to Canada only to turn around and hate Canadians, I only have two words - You're Welcome.

Something to think about.
Uncle Rory
PS. (all generalizations in the above post can be assumed to refer to a small percentage of people from any given race and not all of any race)