In the comments on one of yesterday’s posts about Geert Wilders, our regular commenter and occasional contributor Yorkshire Miner left some interesting observations about the Dutch reaction to the Geert Wilders case. YM lives in the Netherlands, and spent some time yesterday reading the comments about Mr. Wilders on a newspaper article.
The post below is adapted from Yorkshire Miner’s comment. Statistically speaking, what he observed may not be rigorous enough to qualify as a political bellwether, but it still makes for interesting reading:
I have been reading the comments in De Telegraaf a center right newspaper here in the Netherlands. I would like to translate a few of the comments — there are over two hundred at the moment, and they will give a feeling for the mood of the average Dutch person.
I keep refreshing the page and the comments are coming in at the rate at the moment of about five a minute. At least 95% are very positive:
» Rightly so, congratulations, pity about wasting Geert’s time and our money. » Congratulations Geert, we know very well who incites hate. » Geert is the only politician who tells it like it is, he speaks normal Dutch without pretensions and the only politician with balls, great guy, I wish we were all like him. » At last Justice, and so goes Nederland. » I work with many firms in Germany and they find it sad that they have no politicians such as Wilders. » Hopefully the freedom of expression will not be further attacked, and we can say what we will in relation to Islam. Freedom has won. » I was genuinely frightened that I would lose my faith in our justice system, I am now reassured, at last justice.
So it goes on in the same style. Many complain about the cost of the court case, which implies that they should not have started it in the first place. One even suggests that they should send the bill to Ernst Hirsch Ballin [the outgoing Justice Minister]. They were certainly aware of the cost that Dutch society would pay if Wilders were to be convicted. It was if a sigh of relief were expressed.
I have read through the bulk of the comments, which are quickly heading towards 300, and I have seen about three that were against Wilders. The interesting thing is that there were no Muslim comments, so they are keeping their heads down for now.
I think it will free up debate here in Holland if you don’t make it personal, but general. You will be able to get away with a hell of a lot more. This decision has virtually ring-fenced Geert from any further prosecution. I expect that Imam Fawaz Jneid’s lawsuit will also fall by the wayside. He is detested here in Holland, and any decision in his favor would alienate even more Dutch.
This has been great publicity for the PVV — it was a win-win situation from the start. I see this as a turning point. People will feel more free to express their feelings without fear of these draconian political blasphemy laws hanging over their heads. A political descent from the PC norm is steadily building up a head of steam, and it will reach critical mass in a couple of years.
We live in interesting times.
9 comments:
Thank you YM! Just the news I've been praying for!
RE: "The interesting thing is that there were no Muslim comments, so they are keeping their heads down for now."
In all fairness, the prosecution's suggestion to acquit Wilders of all charges came within hours of Friday's khutbah sermons. Anticipating the 5th of November verdict on the horizon, we can surmise this week's khutbah began the complicated process of coordinating a suitably uniform and hostile global reaction to coincide with the announcement of the court's verdict.
in re previous comment by her:
oh yes. "peaceful" rallies, attacks at dutch embassies, and burnings of dutch flag all over the M-world are to be expected. Then we will see the hand-wringing from the Dutch left and statements of regret from the country's leaders.
I am also glad that Wilder remains a free man and is able to continue to speak the truth about islam and its evils. I can hope that enough Americans are aware of the trial and what the outcome could eventually mean for us here in the states. Muslims here are already pushing for the same hate speech that was filed against Geert Wilder. Thus far they have been unsuccessful but I'm sure they will continue their efforts to silence those of us who speak out against them. Had Wilder lost in court, Muslims in the Netherlands and europe and also here in America would be feeling a bit more emboldened. I hope the Dutch take the Wilders trial as a reason to finally fight back. Perhaps just perhaps the ring of Geerts Victory will be felt in Europe where the politicians and most europeans seam willing to accept their fate. An Islamic Europe. What a shame that will be.
Can I add my own thoughts to this, and that is that my reflections lead me to be really really concerned for Wilders' safety.
Up until this point the Jihadis have just been happily assuming that the Dutch courts would be doing their job for them: silencing Wilders. But as it is gradually emerging that this is not the case, there is an even more compelling reason for them to make an example out of the "de facto head of the counter-Jihad."
Yes I know his security staff are excellent. And being surrounded by eight bodyguards is fantastic against a lone nutter with a knife. But useless if the car they are next to is stuffed with TNT.
If not Wilders directly, then certainly in the Netherlands, we must brace ourselves for a terrorist outrage or to coincide with the dismissal of this case when it comes.
I hate to say it but I think the elites in the Netherlands got the best out of this whole confrontation. GW was draged into court and degraded by the media, given a large lawyers fee and used as a warning to everybody else in the Netherlands that to step out of line will cost you dearly.
The best possible result would have been a guilty verdict and GW
in prison for a year. The outrage would have been at near insurectionary levels with Geert propelled to mythic heights. A certain pushbroom mustached Austrian back in the 30's went through the same ordeal and his incarceration helped him immensly.
Geert is at the other end of the political gauge than Mr. Grupenmacher but I suspect the elites were determined not to have the same thing happen, losing their grip of power to a outsider.
Although it would be good to see Geert Wilders walk out of court a free man, as they say, what concerns me is that there has been absolutely no coverage of this trial at all in the British media. None. Zero.
And this after that ridiculous woman banned him from entering the UK, and all the carry on that followed that in the media.
The msm is just not interested in discussing the actual issues behind this case being brought in the first place, let alone what's between the covers of the Koran.
However, the rest of Europe wasn't much interested in the Knights of St. John when they were left to their own devices in Malta in 1565. That didn't stop them from lighting fiery hoops and throwing them on top of the Janissary's heads, or from responding in kind when the Islamic commanders crucified the beheaded corpses of their brothers and sent them sailing across Grand Harbour. (The Grand Master ordered the heads of the Muslim captives to be fired back across the harbour by cannon. Naturally, this rather ununusual ammunition had to be separated from it's wearer's body first.)
The Knights of Malta understood their enemy very well indeed, and spent a long time preparing their homeland so that it could be defended against that enemy. When they day came, they did what they had to do.
So can we.
On-line comments in response to msm articles in Britain similar to that discussed by Yorkshire Miner reflect their Dutch equivalents. Like the politicians(traitors) it represents, it seems the msm in Europe is lagging behind its readership.
Yes it is. But as the (current) first post argues, the 'taboo' of saying that multiculturalism is not only undesirable (as in: we don't want it) but that it is a failure, has been broken.
Any journo worth her salt can now quote Seehofer and Merkel when putting questions to the likes of say ... David Cameron.
Ed Miliband recently stood on stage and announced that people who ask their elected political representatives about the multicultural project are not bigots at all (as his predecessor said of the lady who spoke to him during his campaign). Miliband, he says, 'gets it'.
If our journos -at the moment- won't use these statements to ask telling questions, we can do so ourselves. Maybe we won't be facing armies of Islamic Janissaries over the wall of a fort, but symbolically we may have to defend ourselves by lighting 'fiery hoops' and throwing them over our own politicians.
We may not face the end that the Knights of Malta did at St. Elmo, but we may face the threat of imprisonment or of financial ruin, as Geert Wilders (and others before him) has done.
Remember the couple whose hotel business was ruined after they were charged with telling a Muslima that Christians do not follow their prophet, and reminding her that Christians actually do know what their prophet did during his lifetime?
Geert Wilders may get off, but we could all still be facing some tough times yet.
Not long ago in Britain (during the last Labour govt)there was much talk about the demise of multiculturalism. The only problem is that multiculturalism is a reality in Britain - Muslims in particular have no intention of adopting the host culture and every intention of maintaining their own.
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