Unexpected anti-dhimmitude from the EU. From AP, with thanks to Henri:
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson has warned Saudi Arabia that it would take WTO action if the Riyadh government supported a boycott of Danish goods, the European Commission said Monday.A Danish newspaper's publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad has led to tension between Denmark and some Muslim countries. Mandelson told the Saudi Minister of State that any Danish boycott would be a boycott of the European Union.
"He made it clear that if the Saudi government had encouraged the boycott, Commissioner Mandelson would regret having to take the issue to the WTO," said EU spokesman Peter Power.
The Saudi minister told Mandelson that the government had not encouraged the boycott.
Denmark told Riyadh that it did not support the incitement of racial hatred but could not condemn the free expression of the press.
Hear, hear for Denmark. Does anyone know what they produce? I'd like to start buying Danish (except for cheese--I don't really like it that much). And, if the EU is standing with its member, then my hat is off to that org. for once.
Long live Denmark! Free speech forver!
"Masked gunmen in Gaza have briefly stormed the local office of the EU.
They demanded an apology from Denmark and Norway over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that have offended Muslims."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4661572.stm
Kepha, Lurpark butter, Carlsberg beer and most of all Andersen's fairy tales!
Good show by the EU and the Comissioner!
Im just wondering what good would it do to take Saudi Arabia to the WTO? Afterall, they don't make anything! All they do is pray five times a day, screw their wive(s) or little boys and girls if they so desire, and pump massive amounts of oil for which they earn billions of dollars. Oh, I almost forgot, they use some of those billions to spread islam and fund terrorism around the world.
Nevertheless, every little bit of support helps...
Regards
Finally, a bit of backbone. Did the Saudis think they could become a member of the WTO and not have to honor their comittments? Of course, how dare the Eurodhimmis.
A Deeper Look has a good listing of Danish products.
http://adeeperlookweblog.blogspot.com/
The fictional cover of being non-state actors is an easy way for the sauds, and muslims everywhere who engage in jihad against the non-muslims, to avoid repercussions.
The current concept of nationhood doesn't fit the current war.
Did the Saudis think they could become a member of the WTO and not have to honor their comittments?
The Saudis had every reason to believe this as they were accepted into the WTO while maintaining their illegal boycott against another WTO member (Israel). No other nation has been granted WTO status under such conditions. Even after the Saudis "officially" announced they would end the boycott, sources within the Royal Family indicated that the boycott would effectively remain. With this type of thumb-nosing practice standard fare in SA and the Muslim Middle East, why would they feel any reticence at doing the same to Denmark?
And credit where due to Peter Mandelson. Not a favourite of mine, but fair dos, the boy done good this time.
Things to Do List:
1) Change the E.U. bureacracy -- throw out Chris Patten, Javier Solana, and the rest of those who have long counselled appeasement.
2) Clean up the BBC World Service-- fire John Simpson. Google "John Simpson" and "Peter Hounam" and "Posted by Hugh" for more. Get rid of those whose attitudes -- and unpleasant badly modulated voices -- we all know and hate -- Judy Swallow, Ian Lustig, Bqrbara Plett (banished from her beloved "Palestine" after weeping on air for Arafat -- to Afghanistan, when she should have been cashiered.)
3) Appoint Vladimir Bukovsky, who has long been campaigning against the BBC, as the Chairman of the BBC's Board of Governors. Add others to the list: Rowan Atkinson ("Mister Bean" who has testified against the Protection-of-Islam Bill being pushed by Blair), the master of words Stephen Fry, David Pryce-Jones, the former head of the Royal Society, Aaron Klug, all come to mind.
It is maddening that in order to hear the Lord Haw-haws of this generation, one need not tune in to Radio Berlin. Or even Radio Ramallah or Radio Riyadh or Radio Ramadi. No, one need only tune in to the BBC itself.
Does the British government not possess the authority, and the will, to look into the BBC and to at long last do something about it?
Just start with John Simpson. Look at what he has written. Look at his endorsement of the antisemitic "conspiracy" book of Peter Hounam. What further evidence does one need?
Anti-dhimmitude out of all expected proportions?
Today a united core of all the foreign ministers of the EU expressed their solidarity with Denmarks defense of free speech.
Even the French foreign minister, Phillip Douste-Blazy, said, "One can never question the freedom of speech in any European country and because of that, we have all declared our solidarity with the Danes", though he added, "(one) should avoid humiliating peoples religion".
"We have been informed of the threats that's been put towards our nordic citizens. We strongly condemn these threats. We express our solidarity with our nordic colleagues- We hope this can be solved bby the parties involved, if not we will raise the issue again", says Austrias foreign minister, Ursula Plassnik
"No longer just a Danish" the Swedish minister, Laila Freivalds, warns that the EU "in no way can accept this form of boycott and threats towards our citizens".
Simultaneously the Estonian foreign minister, Urmas Paet, says to Politiken(a Danish daily), at the issue of the Jyllands-Posten's Muhammed caricatures has now become all of Europes problem.
"This is no longer just a Danish problem. It can hit us all and it can have far-reaching consequences for the relation between Europe and the muslim world. Therefore we must do anything to avoid an escalation", says Paet.
In the previous post,
core=corp
It also hits the Saudis. Arla just closed a local dairy there that employed 1000 people, and the francises (owned by Saudis) don't do to well either out of this.
I guess we will see "Unfreedom Feta" on Saudi shelves soon.
Imli
12 cartoons? 12 cartoonists? The 12th Imam?
Hmmm?
Meanwhile, may a thousands spine bloom in the EU!
Sound like a few vertebrates are rising from the primordial (lick)spittle.
They may learn to walk yet.
That's: "thousand spines" and "Sounds like...".
(Getting dyslexic with my "s"'s)
"Free your mind, and you ass will follow." -George Clinton (definitely not BILL).
I give this paraxysm 5 or 6 minutes, and then it will be business as usual from the cowardly EU, and the Euro Appeaser nitwits...
(paroxysm)