WT Forums

A Dutch filmmaker critical of Islam was murdered, this was the local Muslim and Dutch response:

http://www.peaktalk.com/archives/000857.php

Friday, November 5, 2004



CLUELESS IN ROTTERDAM
Roger has asked me to translate what happened here. I checked the various Dutch online news sources and apparently Dutch police forces have been given instructions from high up the command chain to take on any expression that could lead to violence, riots or whatever. In that spirit they forced an artist to take down a street mural with the words “Thou Shall not Kill”. The following apparently happened:

A Rotterdam artist, Chris Ripke, made a mural to express his disgust over Van Gogh’s killing. A beautiful artwork with an angel in it and the words Thou Shalt Not Kill.
Chris is an artist with a lot of integrity, he made some good stuff near Angelo Betti’s pizzeria. His workshop is right next to the mosque on Insulinde Street. The mosque considered the text “Thou Shalt Not Kill” inflammatory. So he called Ivo Opstelten (editor’s note: mayor of Rotterdam, same political party as Hirsi Ali, right-of-center liberal). As a local TV journalist I went over to film what was going on.

I was immediately asked not to film because it would give too much tension in the neighborhood. I was in the middle of a discussion when a car arrived to spray the artwork. I could not bear that and decided to stand in front of it (I am a bit Rushdie like).

After a scuffle with the police I got arrested. I am free again but the artwork is gone and I really fail to see what Opstelten is thinking. My colleague Mireille was forced by police to wipe part of her video tape.

What a country, it’s unbelievable.

Both Chris and I have spent decades working with Turkish and Moroccan children/adults to try to involve them in our activities. What a rigid government. What a beautiful statement: Thou Shalt Not Kill. Something more universal doesn’t exist. But you can’t put that on wall!

I am furious.


My interpretation: the shock to the Dutch system is so dramatic that a lot of people are totally clueless and have no idea how to deal with the situation. Today the Dutch cabinet declared war on Muslim terror in the country which is definitely positve news, but an attitude change throughout the various layers of Dutch government will take a lot of time. Let's see how quickly they can adapt to the new world. My sense is that after the right picked up this issue a few years back the Dutch left is rapidly coming to its senses, this affair has really hit a nerve. More later.

Be sure to check out Zacht Ei, a Dutch blog in English, lots of stuff about this affair. BTW, "Zacht Ei" means "soft egg" or "uncooked egg", in case you were wondering.

Posted by Pieter Dorsman at 01:12 PM | TrackBack (0)


Brainwashing couldn't get the tough stains out.

Chirac was going to make sure he was not mumbling about the pay offs and to collect the information on the bank accounts.