Dutch Muslim protests at film pass off peacefully

A demonstration by some 50 Muslims protesting about the American internet film Innocence of Muslims passed of peacefully on Amsterdam’s Museumplein on Sunday, police said.


The group of people gathered close to the US consulate, some of whom carried banners and flags. The group broke up around 17.00 hours. The consulate on Friday had advised Americans to avoid the area.
Meanwhile MP Geert Wilders, whose anti-Islam party PVV did badly in last week’s elections after fighting on an anti-EU ticket, put links to the film on his own and party websites at the weekend.
‘Freedom of speech is a fundamental right which we must not give up under threat of violence and intimidation,’ Wilders said in an English-language introduction to the link. Both websites went off line for a time because so many people tried to access them.
According to the Telegraaf, security at Dutch diplomatic missions abroad has been stepped up because of Wilders’ link to the film. In particular, Dutch embassies in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq are on heightened alert, the paper says.

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