'Anti-Islamic' film is shown in Lords after Dutch MP deported

THE CONTROVERSIAL film by a Dutch MP who was refused entry to the UK yesterday over fears he would incite hatred with his message about Islam, was shown twice at Westminster last night.

The first screening of Geert Wilders Fitna was in the House of Lords and attended by about 30 people.

No MPs and only five peers attended, although organisers blamed poor attendance on the fact parliament rose for a week's recess earlier this afternoon.

A second screening, which Mr Wilders had been planning to attend, was held later in the evening, for the press, including journalists from the Netherlands. The 17-minute production quotes five Suras, or verses, from the Koran which apparently support violence against non-Muslims.

The words are set alongside footage of notorious atrocities of recent years including the hijacked airliners slamming into the World Trade Centre in New York in 2001 and the London transport bombings in 2005.

The second part of the film highlights the growing population of Muslims in the Netherlands in particular and Europe in general over the past decade.

Mr Wilders, a member of Holland's Freedom Party, had wanted to show the film to British MPs, but on Tuesday received a letter from the government warning he was not welcome because his views would "threaten community security and public security" in the UK.

The 45-year-old tried to defy the ban, but was turned back at Heathrow after three hours.

He branded Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, the "biggest coward in Europe".

Crossbench peer Baroness Cox, hosting the screening for the press near to the Houses of Parliament, said she did not agree with everything the film suggested, but that Mr Wilders had a right to defend it.

Muslim groups were divided on whether to bar Mr Wilders.

Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, backed the government's decision to keep Mr Wilders out of Britain, accusing Mr Wilders of inciting religious hatred.

"Mr Wilders film is all about demonising and attacking Islam and Muslims," he said, insisting his "hatred" for Islam was "based on fiction".

But the Quilliam Foundation, a Muslim think tank devoted to fighting extremism, said he should have been allowed into the country so that his views could be challenged "through debate and argument".

Mr Wilders flew into Heathrow's Terminal 1 at 2pm yesterday and was taken into a side room by immigration officials before being sent back three-and-a-half hours later.

Speaking from the airport, Mr Wilders said Britain's freedom of speech had been "set back centuries".

"We should have a public debate, we should have freedom of speech. It's very easy to invite people who agree with you. I think that a discussion is always better than barring people or turning people away."

Lord Pearson, the UKIP peer who invited Mr Wilders to Britain, said: "I think this man is raising one of the most important issues of our time, which is Islamic militarism, which is a violent jihad."

Mr Wilders has already urged the Dutch government to ban the Koran and warned of a "tsunami" of Islam overwhelming the Netherlands. His film sparked violent protests around the Muslim world last year.

Maxime Verhagen, Netherlands Foreign Minister, said: "It is highly regrettable that a Dutch MP should be denied entry to another EU country."

But the Home Office said: "The government opposes extremism in all its forms. It will stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages from coming to our country, and that was the driving force behind tighter rules."

David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, said Mr Wilders was guilty of "extreme anti– Muslim hate".