Court rules UK was wrong to bar Geert Wilders

The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in London has ruled that Dutch rightwing politician Geert Wilders should not have been refused entry to the United Kingdom in February.

A British organisation that promotes freedom of expression, the Birkenhead Society, had brought the case on his behalf.

Radio Netherlands Worldwide's political editor John Tyler asked Geert Wilders for his response to the court's decision.

Listen to the interview with Geert Wilders

Mr Wilders said he was “very happy” about the ruling. He said the British government decision to bar him had been politically motivated and described today’s ruling as “not a victory for me, only a victory for freedom of speech”. He said he would be consulting with his UK lawyers, and planned to travel to Britain at the earliest possible opportunity. He denied being an extremist.

Newsline's Davion Ford spoke to Mohamed el Aissati, a spokesman for Dutch Moroccan internet forum Maroc.nl, about his reaction to the ruling:

Listen to the interview with Mohamed el Aissati

Mr el Aissati accused Mr Wilders of hypocrisy for demanding free speech for himself while calling for censorship of the Qur’an (...)