Dutch Police Arrests Cartoonist

From the desk of Thomas Landen on Fri, 2008-05-16 11:26

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The Dutch authorities have arrested the cartoonist Gregorius Nekschot (a pseudonym. Nekschot means deathblow, litt: “shot in the back of the neck” [An interview with Nekschot here]). The judicial authorities in Amsterdam said yesterday that the cartoonist was arrested as a suspect for the criminal offense of “publishing cartoons which are discriminating for Muslims and people with dark skin.”

The cartoonist was arrested on Tuesday, while the police searched his house for “discriminating evidence.” His computer, backups, usb sticks, mobile phone and a number of drawings were confiscated. Nekschot was released two days later but it is possible that he will be charged following a complaint in 2005 by the Dutch imam Abdul Jabbar van de Ven, an indigenous Dutchman who converted to Islam.

According to the Dutch public prosecutor Nekschot “makes his profession” of drawing cartoons of “an insulting and/or discriminating nature.” Ernst Hirsch Ballin, the Dutch minister of Justice, a Christian-Democrat, said that it took the police three years to discover the real identity of the cartoonist.

Nekschot, a friend of the late Theo van Gogh, the Dutch film maker who was ritually slaughtered by a Muslim fanatic in 2004, hides his real identity in order to avoid unnecessary risks. Hans Teeuwen, a Dutch stand-up comedian and friend of Nekschot’s, told the Dutch media yesterday that the police had told Nekschot as they released him earlier that day that “he has now lost his anonymity.” Teeuwen said this was “a rather intimidating remark.”

As spokeswoman of Xtra, Nekschot’s publisher, said today: “He was arrested with a great show of force, by around 10 policemen.” The spokeswoman asked that her name not be used because the cartoonist and publisher have received death threats. Nekschot told the Dutch newspaper Het Parool today that police officers had told him: “What you draw is worse than what they did in Denmark. Do you realize what can happen to you if your identity gets known?” The cartoonist fears for his live if he is being sent to jail. “As the maker of those cartoons my life is in danger in prison,” he said.

Nekschot’s work is rude and often sexually explicit. As such it is characteristic for the Dutch liberal mentality and not beyond the limit in the Netherlands. In his cartoons, however, he mocks the multicultural society, and that does seem to be beyond all bounds.

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Meanwhile, a group of American bloggers are making parodies of the Flemish pulpit which is deemed offensive by Muslims because it depicts Mohammed being trampled by angels. Reprinting the parodies is illegal in most European countries. Hence, if you live in Europe do not click this link!

 

See also:

  

Danish Paper Apologizes. Dutch Cartoon on Its Way, 31 January 2006

@ THE DOCTOR

Submitted by Atlanticist911 on Fri, 2008-05-16 21:15.

Damn it!  Your post confirms my worst fear, and as I suspected, we are still lumped together with all those mainland Europeans. Ah, well, I suppose I can still dream, or can I ?

 

:-(

Atlanticist , I live in

Submitted by THE DOCTOR on Fri, 2008-05-16 20:56.

Atlanticist , I live in England and did click the link , my heavens , thoses parodies are really mild . You have to get much worse than that ; damn there's a car with a blue flashing light outside my door .

Resistance is futile...

Submitted by Amsterdamsky on Fri, 2008-05-16 18:46.

Retten... "Who cares? I'm not gonna let ANY politician decide which I websites I can look at. "

 

There is really nothing you can do until the jack boots kick in your door.  Better to live free while you can.  Hopefully other people will notice and follow your example. 

@Nataraja

Submitted by Thomas Landen on Fri, 2008-05-16 16:59.

Nekschot has also drawn cartoons showing Hitler taking Anne Frank from behind. Has he? I have not seen them.

Opinion and Advice

Submitted by Atlanticist911 on Fri, 2008-05-16 16:56.

Nataraja: " Neckschot has also drawn cartoons showing Hitler taking ... from behind".

 

Increasingly, I get the uncomfortable feeling that we 'Europeans' are ALL getting "taken from behind" by these b*stards!.

 

So, as a private investor, here's a Stock market tip for my fellow EUrabian investors. Ease the pain and make a capital gain by dumping your Pork Futures and  buy into Vaseline Futures, pronto. You know it makes sense.

"Q: Does anybody...

Submitted by RettenTilSelvforsvar on Fri, 2008-05-16 17:15.

"Q: Does anybody out there know if this restriction applies to people living in Britain?"

Who cares? I'm not gonna let ANY politician decide which websites I can look at. Fortunately here in Eastern Europe they don't care, it's probably the most free countries in the world now.

Perspective

Submitted by Frank Lee on Fri, 2008-05-16 16:12.

In America we were for a long time accustomed to looking at the Soviet bloc to gain a greater appreciation for our freedoms.  Now we need simply gaze at Western Europe.

Just when I thought Holland

Submitted by Amsterdamsky on Fri, 2008-05-16 15:18.

Just when I thought Holland was improving.  This makes me want to puke.  Europe deserves to die if there is no public outrage to episodes like this.

mere curiosity

Submitted by Nataraja on Fri, 2008-05-16 14:54.

Nekschot has also drawn cartoons showing Hitler taking Anne Frank from behind.

OK? Not a word on antisemitism, discrimination, etc. nothing?

Just curious about opinions... 

You think you've seen it all...

Submitted by RettenTilSelvforsvar on Fri, 2008-05-16 14:36.

I am speechless ... Just when you think nothing can surprise you anymore, such a thing happens. Are the Dutch authorities acting an behalf of the islamic occupational power due to fear or it is because of some fascist ideology?

The guy makes cartoons for f**ck sake, and they treat him as if he was a terrorist or a child molester. This is exactly like Germany in the thirties. Thank gods I'm not living in fascist Netherlands.