Independent Dutch MP Geert Wilders has received 40 death threats by email within two days for reproducing the controversial Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed on his website. Wilders said he was shocked by the number of threats but he would not be silenced.A leading critic of aspects of Islam and immigration in the Netherlands, Wilders went into hiding after the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh in November 2004. Wilders later returned to work but still has bodyguards.
Last week Wilders placed the cartoons on his website in a show of solidarity with the artist and to underline his support for freedom of expression. He has received thousands of reactions. While the majority were positive, Wilders said he had never before received so many threats in such a short space of time. As is his normal practise, Wilders reported each threat to the police. Supporters of the radical Islamic organisation 'Hizb ut Tahrir' handed out pamphlets containing a warning to Wilders at various locations in the Netherlands at the weekend.
| well, well, HuT was behind the London "kill them all" protest signs too |
Residents of houses in the Geuzenveld-Slotermeer district of Amsterdam received letters in the post about Wilders and the cartoons. The authors claim Wilders has insulted Muslims and he must remove the cartoons from his site. Wilders said he would not do so.