Fitna now censored in the UK

Dutch MPs film removed from Live Leak

Fitna is a film by Dutch politician Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV) in the Dutch parliament. The movie investigates Islamic-based terrorism. The film’s title comes from the Arabic word fitna which is used to describe “disagreement and division among people”, or a “test of faith in times of trial” Fitna was released to the Internet on March 27, 2008 .

Many say that the popular right wing Dutchman released the film specifically to offend, other say it was to educate, it is still available on the internet but a number of webhosts have taken it down after a series of complaints and personal threats from those supporting the pillars of Islam. The film includes many images and film clips that we have all seen on television in the past as it rehashes news stories, but it unfortunately had a strong anti-Islam theme, and as such tars all muslims with the same brush (but this may have been his intent.)

Regardless, Mr. Wilders is suffering at the hands of those who cannot tolerate his ideas of how to solve certain Dutch problems. He is losing his right to free speech and expression, we have to accept that. There are many times that we do not like the message, we find the content odious or objectionable, we disagree wholeheartedly with the sentiment, but that is no excuse to apply draconian censorship with the removal of material from the internet (besides, others will always find a way to circumvent this banishment and find ways to share the video file.) If this reaction to threats and bullying continues, it will not be long before our own thoughts, ideas, and comments are equally at risk of being withdrawn.

Archbishop Cranmer has an excellent post in defence of free speech and the situation faced by Live Leak (a British host) in which he writes;

Freedom of speech must be tolerated, and everyone living in the United Kingdom must accept that they may be insulted about their own beliefs, or indeed be offended, and that is something which they must simply endure…

And the principle is enshrined in law. In an important judgement on a case dealing with religious freedom of speech in the High Court on 23rd July 1999, Lord Justice Sedley quoted Socrates and two famous Quakers when he declared: “The irritating, the contentious, the eccentric, the heretical, the unwelcome and provocative have a right to be heard.”

Pre-emptive censorship has no place in the free world or within the concepts of an open internet, even if we don’t like what we see, here, or watch. The decision on suitability should lie with the individual not the corporate or state organ!

Update

Live Leak have relented under the pressure of protests and reinstated the video, this from Hot Air

On the 28th of March LiveLeak.com was left with no other choice but to remove the film “fitna” from our servers following serious threats to our staff and their families. Since that time we have worked constantly on upgrading all security measures thus offering better protection for our staff and families. With these measures in place we have decided to once more make this video live on our site. We will not be pressured into censoring material which is legal and within our rules. We apologise for the removal and the delay in getting it back, but when you run a website you don’t consider that some people would be insecure enough to threaten our lives simply because they do not like the content of a video we neither produced nor endorsed but merely hosted.