Dutch businesses mull suing Wilders over anti-Islam film
Dutch businesses warned on Saturday that they would consider suing far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders if his anti-Islam film led to a commercial boycott of Dutch goods, while police said cars were set ablaze and graffiti called for Wilders to be killed. A boycott would hurt Dutch exports. Businesses such as Shell, Philips, and Unilever are easily identifiable as Dutch companies. I dont know if Wilders is rich, or well-insured, but in case of a boycott, we would look to see if we could make him bear responsibility, Bernard Wientjes, the chairman of the Dutch employers organisation VNO-NCW, told the Het Financieel Dagblad newspaper.
Malaysias former prime minister Mahathir Muhammad on Saturday suggested a boycott of Dutch goods. If Muslims unite, it will be easy to take action. If we boycott Dutch products, they will have to close down their businesses, he told reporters. The media in Jordan has also called for such a boycott.
Two days after the Internet release of the long-awaited 17-minute documentary Fitna, Muslim nations, including Malaysia and Singapore, and the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned it. Although there were no mass disturbances in the Netherlands, two cars were set ablaze in Utrecht overnight, with a slogan calling for the death of Wilders. Police said they could not say with certainty that it was connected to the release of Fitna.
Posted by: Fred 2008-03-30 |