While our specialty of the house at this blog is pointing out insults and outrages to the letter and spirit of civil liberties by American authorities, just as troubling are examples of cultural institutions founded on the free flow of speech, ideas and information buckling under, whether to governments or other forms of organized would-be censors using intimidation tactics.
Such appears to be the case with the movie Fitna, (an agit-prop style denunciation of Islamic fundamentalism by Dutch politician Geert Wilders)which after being launched online Thursday has been yanked by LiveLeak after death threats, while YouTube, Google video and other outlets are apparently receiving similar threats though the movie is still up.
Though Wilders' equation of Islamicism with 1930s European fascism and neo-connish braod brush view of "Islamo-Fascism" strike me as historically simplistic, unfettered distribution of the film in the face of theocratic bullying tactics is a free speech cause worthy of support. I join Rogier Van Bakel at Nobody's Business, who urges bloggers to keep links to the video alive as embedded links in the event they're pulled down elsewhere.
Such appears to be the case with the movie Fitna, (an agit-prop style denunciation of Islamic fundamentalism by Dutch politician Geert Wilders)which after being launched online Thursday has been yanked by LiveLeak after death threats, while YouTube, Google video and other outlets are apparently receiving similar threats though the movie is still up.
Though Wilders' equation of Islamicism with 1930s European fascism and neo-connish braod brush view of "Islamo-Fascism" strike me as historically simplistic, unfettered distribution of the film in the face of theocratic bullying tactics is a free speech cause worthy of support. I join Rogier Van Bakel at Nobody's Business, who urges bloggers to keep links to the video alive as embedded links in the event they're pulled down elsewhere.
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