PrintMarch 29, 2008
Dutch Film "Fitna" Taken Off Liveleak (updated)
As a followup to Andrew Walden's excellent piece in today's AT, here's some disturbing news about the internet video site Liveleak and actions they felt compelled to take after hosting the film for just a few hours.
Ironically proving the deadly nature of Islamism ,Liveleak reluctantly removed the Dutch filmaker Geert Wilders' film Fitna, which depicts the deadly nature of Islam.
Following threats to our staff of a very serious nature, and some ill informed reports from certain corners of the British media that could directly lead to the harm of some of our staff, Liveleak.com has been left with no other choice but to remove Fitna from our servers.
As they put it:
This is a sad day for freedom of speech on the net but we have to place the safety and well being of our staff above all else. (snip)We stood for what we believe in, the ability to be heard, but in the end the price was too high.
Uh yes but then they plaintively beg
Perhaps there is still hope that this situation may produce a discussion that could benefit and educate all of us as to how we can accept one anothers culture.
But all of us aren't threatening death to those of another culture; in this case it is the Moslems who are threatening death to Americans, to Jews, to European culture.
How sad Liveleak is so intimidated that all it can do is offer moral equivalence between victim and victimizer, treating them as equal; considering a 15 minute film with a negative take of another culture, based on fact, to be the equivalent of death threats by Moslems that can certainly be carried out as they have done in the past.
Update -- Marc Shepppard writes:
Update -- Marc Shepppard writes:
As expected, the usual suspects entered the discussion opened by the film not with reasoned response, but rather with threats "of a very serious nature" to its screeners.
Too late. It appears the viral nature of the internet escapes these fascists of Islam as much as the fact that speech is just one of the many freedoms they'll never rip from us.
Not to mention that their predictably extortive methods only serve to support the film's cautionary message.
Watch it here while you can. And when you can't -- just Google "Fitna."
Update -- Thomas Lifson adds:
Now is the time for all the Hollywood liberals who cry 'censorship' every time someone criticizes a leftist to stand up and be counted. They ignored Theo Van Gogh's murder at the Academy Awards when recounting those who departed, and now they have an instance of attempted worldwide censorship of a political film. Those who remain silent lose all future credibility as anti-censorship critics.
Update -- Thomas Lifson adds:
Now is the time for all the Hollywood liberals who cry 'censorship' every time someone criticizes a leftist to stand up and be counted. They ignored Theo Van Gogh's murder at the Academy Awards when recounting those who departed, and now they have an instance of attempted worldwide censorship of a political film. Those who remain silent lose all future credibility as anti-censorship critics.
