EU parliament prevents screening of anti-Islam film

EU parliament prevents screening of anti-Islam film

STRASBOURG (AFP) — The EU parliament prevented the showing on Wednesday of an anti-Islamic film made by far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders, bringing cries of censorship from the British eurodeputy who organised the screening.

"The banning of this film is a direct attack on free speech," said British MEP Gerard Batten, who had organised the event, though officials pointed out that parliamentary leaders had banned the film from being shown in their Strasbourg building back in March.

"A parliament that constantly talks of freedom, democracy and tolerance has shown once again that these are empty words when it does not agree with what is being said," added Batten, a member of the eurosceptic UK Independence Party (UKIP).

The 17-minute film called "Fitna," which in Arabic means war, or division, in the heart of Islam, has been called "offensively anti-Islamic" by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

A spokeswoman for the parliament's presidency said the decision not to allow the film to be shown had been taken by parliamentary president Hans-Gert Poettering and party leaders back in March, after it caused "problems" when shown in the Netherlands.

After the Dutch screening there were protests in Pakistan, Iran, Indonesia and Afghanistan.

Featuring shocking imagery of the attacks on New York in 2001 and Madrid in 2004 combined with quotes from the Koran, Islam's holy book, it has drawn protests and outrage in some Muslim countries.

Batten said that at the same time the parliament in Strasbourg was awarding its Sakharov Prize in absentia to jailed Chinese dissident Hu Jia, European party leaders "deny free speech to one of its own members".

Wilders, who was in the parliament building hoping to see the film in a screening room, said he intended to present it during European parliamentary elections next June.

"We are in discussion with other parties," he said, without giving details.

Green group co-president Daniel Cohn-Bendit said his group had been opposed to the ban at the time the decision was taken in March.

"In principle we are against bans," he said, "but the other groups followed the president's decision."

Wilders is the head of the Freedom Party, which has nine seats in the Dutch parliament.

He has called for the banning of the Koran in the Netherlands, calling it "fascist."

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