I've had a hectic, but thoroughly enjoyable, trip to New York City, where I attended events relating to the Danish cartoonist, Kurt Westergaard, who drew the satirical portrait of a turbaned Mohammed with a bomb. The events I attended were at Princeton University, and later on at a private Manhattan residence mentioned here.
Westergaard is an elderly man in his mid-seventies, who walks with a cane, and who has a soft-spoken voice and a gentle demeanor. He is the last person one would expect to be embroiled in this kind of affair. Yet, that fateful day, which he calls "just another day at work," sealed his life forever, with armed guards now protecting his every move.
I would just like to comment on the Manhattan event. The group I was with in Princeton kindly asked me to join them after the Princeton trip to the Manhattan residence, which was right in front of the grand Plaza Hotel at the entrance of Central Park. The view from the apartment was spectacular - it was not facing the park, but rather the twinkling lights of the New York skyline (we arrived there when it was dark, and later than expected because of awful traffic getting into the Lincoln Tunnel). There was nice wine, delicious hors d'oeuvres and a beautiful home, but the topic was extremely serious.
After Westergaard made is introductory speech, there were the usual comments and questions about freedom of speech, the bravery and persistence required of Westergaard to refuse apology for what he "did," the terrible state of events with the ever-growing numbers of Muslims, and hence possibilities for retaliations like the one against Westergaard, etc.
I'm afraid I lost my patience at one point and interrupted a concerned woman who kept dwelling on the awfulness of everything. I started asking if there was any figure like the Netherlands' Wilders who has emerged in Denmark. For some reason, the gist of my question was not understood, so I succinctly asked what Denmark was doing about preventing Muslims from entering the country.
And here is the shocker. Denmark has been cutting down on immigration levels into the country even before the cartoon incident, which by 2004 had been reduced to 80% of its 2001 levels. On top of that, other restrictions have been made, including banning Danish citizens from bringing in their non-European Union wives into Denmark. This policy was mostly aimed at Muslims from bringing in their spouses from arranged marriages, who generally entered the Danish welfare programs once they came into the country.
Well, the Court of Justice of the European Communities (ECJ) has been repealing or amendings these policies to the advantage of the (mostly Muslim) immigrants. It was shocking to hear this enunciated during the meeting, when clearly the answer to my question had already been worked out, and to some extent the problems solved, by the Danish government. And the EU made unequivocal decisions to undermine and dismantle, or at least render innocuous, the policies of the Danish nation.
That is the current state of affairs in Europe, something unimaginable (yet) here. There is really nothing more to say. However brave and resilient Westergaard is, however much he espouses freedoms (of speech, of expression, of the press), there is the behemoth of the EU which can step in at any time and clamp in its restrictions, and demolish anything the Danish people and their goverment have decided.
There is no freedom in Denmark.