by Geert Wilders. August 30, 2023
-
I have been on the death lists of the Taliban, Al Qaeda, ISIS for a very long time….
-
In recent years, several fatwas have been issued against me by imams and mullahs, two of which have been repeated quite recently. Fatwas, religious death sentences consisting of concrete calls to Muslims worldwide and also in the Netherlands to kill me.
-
I now receive so many death threats, every day and about a thousand a year, that I no longer even report everything, because then I would no longer be able to do my work as a Member of Parliament.
-
They are often descriptions of how they want to kill me, often with explicit pictures, beheading videos, there are audio recordings of threats, including imams from mosques, and other disgustingly violent material. Many of those threats come from various Islamic countries, but especially from Pakistan.
-
And with a few exceptions of Pakistanis who came to the Netherlands to kill me, but luckily were arrested and also convicted, 99.99% of all people who threaten me from abroad have never been prosecuted.
-
Luckily one is prosecuted today. And I would like to thank the Public Prosecution Office for that.
-
I do hope that they will also prosecute the Pakistani mullah Jalali and the political leader Rizvi, who issued the aforementioned fatwas against me. Please don’t forget them.
-
[T]oday your court is hearing the case against Khalid Latif, a well-known former cricketer from Pakistan, who in 2018 put a bounty of three million Pakistani rupees, then about 21 thousand euros [roughly $23,000], on my head as a reward for the one who murders me, and would post the video of that murder online as evidence. And if he had more money, he added, he would also give it to the one who kills me.
-
Khalid Latif thinks I should be killed because I (and I quote) would insult “the prophet of God” – he is referring to Muhammad – by organizing a cartoon contest [which did not take place].
-
But of course that is absolutely no reason to put a price on someone’s head, let alone kill someone.
-
I wanted to make it clear that making drawings is allowed by anyone and we should never, ever bow down to people who choose violence, threats, murder and terror.
-
Because of all the fatwas, threats and calls to kill, I have been living in high security for almost nineteen years.
-
I have lived in a prison with my wife for months for my safety, lived in a barracks, lived in a police station, had to dress unrecognizably in public with mustaches and wigs. And to this day, my wife and I live in a government safe house.
-
I can’t do the most basic things that every human being does every day without thinking about it…. Quickly get some air. Empty the mailbox. Driving. Walk around the block. Quickly run a message [errand] in the store…..
-
And frankly, you never get used to it. You learn to deal with it but you never get used to it. And that’s tough. You should know that.
-
I am grateful to be protected. I also want to say that today.
-
Also a word of thanks to the great team of the police for threatened politicians, who are on hand day and night and sometimes go crazy because of the amount of threats I send them, but always remain friendly and helpful.
-
As best I can, I try not to be guided by the fear of being killed and the knowledge that it can happen any day, protected or not.
-
I will always fight against the intolerance and hatred of people who propagate violence such as the radical Muslims who threaten me. I see it as my duty to warn and protect the Netherlands against them and their ideology.
-
And I fervently hope that your court sends a signal that I am not an outlaw. That putting a price on someone’s head does not go unpunished.
-
I hope you will convict Mr. Latif for what he has done. He broke the law and not just a little bit. And that you also send a strong signal to those who threaten me, but also threaten others: you will not get away with it. Free speech will not be silenced by your terror.
-
[W]ith a conviction you send a strong signal to all other threateners: we will not accept it. Inciting and provoking murder is noticed and condemned and is therefore not without consequences.
-
Mr. Latif, as long as I’m alive and breathing you won’t stop me. Your call to kill me and pay money for it is despicable and will not silence me, on the contrary. I will continue to speak the truth and express my opinion, including when it comes to Islam and your prophet.
-
The freedom of thought and speech, it is the only freedom I have left, and you will never take it away from me. I will always carry on. Always.
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Court, Madam Prosecutor.
Thank you very much for allowing me to speak here today. It’s an important day for me.
Because unfortunately a large part of my life consists of death threats that I have received almost daily for many years and that have forced me to live without freedom.
I have been on the death lists of the Taliban, Al Qaeda, ISIS for a very long time and the Hofstad group in the Netherlands, which is now fortunately no longer in existence, was also targeting me.
In recent years, several fatwas have been issued against me by imams and mullahs, two of which have been repeated quite recently. Fatwas, religious death sentences consisting of concrete calls to Muslims worldwide and also in the Netherlands to kill me.
