Council of Europe warns Dutch lawmaker against releasing anti-Quran film

STRASBOURG. A senior Council of Europe official warned a maverick Dutch lawmaker Wednesday against releasing an anti-Quran film he has made, saying freedom of expression does not equal freedom to offend.

Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders has said he plans to air the film this month, though no date has been set.

The Dutch government says the constitutional right to freedom of expression means it is powerless to ban the film before seeing its contents.

The Netherlands has been warned by various Islamic figures and countries, including Iran, that releasing the film would breed violence.

«Freedom of expression should not be considered a license to offend,» said Maud de-Boer Buquicchio, deputy secretary general of the Council of Europe, a pan-European human rights watchdog.
She said Wilders had an extra responsibility not to humiliate Muslims because he holds a public office.

She also recalled past judgments by the European Court of Human Rights which have endorsed restrictions on freedom of expression to protect Christianity against insults and said other religions should be entitled to similar treatment.