ORGANIZERS OF BANNED ANTI-ISLAM MARCH TO SUE BRUSSELS MAYOR
De Standaard website, Groot-Bijgaarden
14 Aug 07
[Report by "ty, wov": "Organizers of Banned March Want to Take
Thielemans to Court"]
The organizers of the demonstration against Islamization are going
on the defence against Mayor Thielemans and the PS [French-speaking
Socialists].
The organization Stop Islamization of Europe (SIOE) wants to take
Brussels Mayor Freddy Thielemans (PS) to court. That was announced
yesterday [13 August] by the German Udo Ulfkotte, one of the movement’s
pioneers and founder of Pax Europa. Last week, Thielemans decided
to not give the organization permission to demonstrate on Tuesday,
11 September in Brussels against the advancing practice of Islam
in Europe.
SIOE does not acknowledge defeat. It has called in a Belgian lawyer
and gone before the Council of State to dispute the decision.
SIOE is also now challenging Thielemans personally, on two
grounds. First of all, the mayor is blamed for violating the
antidiscrimination law. In his reasoning for banning the march he
mentioned the threat of violence by participants from the extreme
right. Udo Ulfkotte does not accept the identification with the far
right. "Our organization is democratic and peaceful, and has expressly
rejected any link with the extreme right and with political parties,"
he says.
Second, Ulfkotte, who is Catholic, feels offended in his religious
belief because Thielemans offered his table companions champagne on
the death of Pope John Paul II. The mayor afterward apologized for the
"little joke."
Ulfkotte also has his sights on Emir Kir, state secretary in the
Brussels regional government and of Turkish origin. "Thielemans’ PS
supports this man, who has questioned the genocide of the Armenians
by the Turks. In Germany and also in Belgium, denying a genocide is
punishable," the German says.
Kir signed a petition in 2003 that argued for the abolition of a
memorial stone for the victims of the genocide. He himself says he
does not remember ever having given his signature. There were also
reports that he was present at a demonstration that denied the mass
murder. Kir filed a complaint against the reports, which was rejected
in the first instance.
In an opinion piece in De Standaard today [14 August], LDD [Dedecker
List] Chairman Jean-Marie Dedecker once again condemns the ban by
the Brussels mayor. In it Dedecker interprets freedom of speech very
broadly. Among other things, he argues "that someone who does not
want to rent his house to a gay couple must not be criminalized." In
recent weeks a battle has been under way between List Dedecker and
Flemish Interest for the title of "champion of freedom of speech."