From:
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/137751">The Guardian</a><br>
Date: 2008-01-17
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Thursday, 17 January 2008, 17:31
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 THE HAGUE 000061
SIPDIS
C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (TAGS AND SIGNER)
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/WE, S/CT, INR
DEPARTMENT FOR CA/OCS/EUR
DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/EUR
EO 12958 DECL: 01/17/2018
TAGS PREL, PTER, PGOV, KINF, KISL, PINR, NL
SUBJECT: DUTCH PREPARED TO BE PROACTIVE ON RELEASE OF
WILDERS FILM ON THE KORAN
REF: A. THE HAGUE 58 B. 11/29/07 GARRO - SMITH E-MAIL C. 07 THE HAGUE 314

THE HAGUE 00000061 001.3 OF 004

1. (C) Summary.
The Dutch government and major municipalities are preparing
contingency plans to respond to the anticipated release in
early February of a short film expected to be critical of the
Koran and of Islam made by Dutch Parliamentarian Geert
Wilders. Extensive Dutch and international press reporting on
the film has indicated that the film is likely to be
inflammatory, and possibly include comparisons between the
Koran and Mein Kampf, as well as scenes of the Koran being
burned or ripped up. Wilders, whose right-wing populist
Freedom Party (PVV) has an anti-immigration platform, has made
statements in the past year that the Koran is a "fascist and
violent" book that should be banned in the Netherlands.
Officials from the MFA and Office of the National Counter
Terrorism Coordinator have told Emboffs that the Dutch
government is concerned about the potential for violent
reaction to the film, especially in the Muslim world, and will
be proactive in addressing the film, both to disassociate the
government from Wilders' views and to ensure public safety at
home. The city governments of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, which
have large Dutch Muslim populations, are actively engaged in
planning to act swiftly to prevent, and if necessary, suppress
violence following the film's release. End Summary.

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APPLYING THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE DANISH CARTOON CRISIS

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2. (C)
Andre van Wiggen, Deputy Director of the MFA's Terrorism and
New Threats Department, told Emboffs January 16 that the Dutch
government has been discussing strategies for responding to an
event similar to the release of the Wilders film "since the
Danish cartoon crisis." He said that the interagency security
steering group established to ensure that the Dutch government
would be adequately prepared to respond to threats to Dutch
interests at home or abroad had been meeting "intensively"
since the government first got word in mid-October of Wilders'
intent to make a film on the Koran. Van Wiggen said that
Wilders had told National Counter Terrorism Coordinator (NCTb)
Tjibbe Joustra that he would not release the film before early
February, and had committed to notifying NCTb 24 hours in
advance of its release. Separately, a contact at NCTb
confirmed to RSO that Wilders had commited to providing NCTb
24 hours notice, and an opportunity to review the tape, prior
to release. Van Wiggen expressed confidence that Wilders would
abide by this commitment. He requested that this information
be kept very close hold within the USG. The security steering
group is chaired by the Deputy National Counter Terrorism
Coordinator and includes representatives from the Interior,
Justice, and Foreign Ministries and the AIVD intelligence
service.

3. (C)
Van Wiggen stated that the government was prepared to be
proactive in responding to the film and reactions to it once
it was released, but did not provide specifics. He said that
the planning group had an idea of the film's content, and
anticipated the film would cite certain verses from the Koran
and end with a "symbolic act." He did not indicate whether
government officials had seen any portion of the film. He said
the GONL anticipated a "stronger" reaction to the film abroad,
in particular in the Muslim world, than in the Netherlands,
where he said many were already displaying "Wilders fatigue,"
which might blunt violent reactions. He said the security
group's scenarios predicted that reactions abroad could be
more widespread and violent than the reactions to the Danish
cartoons. He did not rule out the potential for violent
protests in the Netherlands, adding that a police and public
safety coordinating group had also been established to develop
contingency plans for maintaining public order, especially in
the four largest cities. Ensuring adequate protection for
foreign missions in The Netherlands, he said, was an essential
component of the group's planning process. An official in
NCTb's Surveilance and Protection Department told RSO in a
separate conversation that NCTb and The Hague police meet at
least bi-weekly to review security measures in the city, in
particular with regard to high value buildings, including the
U.S. Embassy.

4. (C)
Van Wiggen stressed that while the government was prepared to
be proactive, they also wanted to ensure that they took "the
right measures at the right time." In particular, he said, it
was critical to avoid a self-fulfilling prophesy by
overreacting, or appearing to predict violence, especially
before the film was released. He also stated it was critical
to avoid the appearance that the Dutch government would try to
censor the film. He said that the Foreign Minister as well as
both the Justice and Interior Ministers had met with Wilders
in November to caution him about the potential negative
repercussions of releasing the film, but had no intention of
censoring it. He said that FM Verhagen had met in Madrid on
the margins of the Alliance for Civilizations meeting with the
Chair of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) to
discuss the situation. The meeting was at the request of the
OIC, which had contacted MFA to ask the government to take
steps to suppress the film. The Foreign Minister, he said, had
explained that any attempt to violate Wilders' freedom of
expression was out of the question; the government could not
prevent the film from being made or released. Van Wiggen added
that subsequent to its release, the content of the film would
be evaluated to determine if it violated any criminal statutes
in the Netherlands.

5. (C)
Asked whether the government had reached out to governments or
religious leaders in the Muslim world or to Western allies to
request information on anticipated reactions among local
populations or support in constraining violence in the wake of
the film's release, van Wiggen said no. This was due to Dutch
government reluctance to involve other countries in what was
still a domestic issue. He said that the MFA had alerted Dutch
embassies abroad to the potential for violent reactions to the
film, but had not sent specific instructions for approaching
host governments or elevating their security posture. It was
up to each embassy to ensure that its security contingency
plans were adequate and up to date. Van Wiggen noted that the
MFA and embassies had received a large number of information
requests about the situation from other governments, to which
they were trying to be responsive. He noted that the
government would welcome any information the USG might gather
through its channels about potential reactions abroad to the
film's release.

6. (C)
Van Wiggen's comments track closely with Counter Terrorism
Coordinator Joustra's comments to Representative Peter
Hoekstra (R-MI) during his November 29 visit to The Hague (Ref
B). Joustra indicated then that the Dutch government had
serious concerns about the potential for a violent reaction to
the film, at home and abroad. He said the Dutch had learned
from the Danish cartoon crisis, and that it would have a
proactive communications strategy in place to disassociate the
government from the views which he anticipated would be
expressed in the film. At the same time, Joustra said, they
did not want to elevate the potential negative impact of the
film by overreacting. He noted that the Dutch were more
exposed in many Middle Eastern capitals than the Danes, due to
their high-visibility fixed investments in the region. Joustra
told Hoekstra that NCTb would closely monitor developments in
the run-up to the release of the film (which at that time was
believed to be mid-January) to determine whether it would be
appropriate to raise the national threat assessment level,
which is currently set at "limited." He added that Wilders has
repeatedly made inflammatory comments about Islam and the
Koran in the past year, attributing the relatively mild
reactions from Dutch Muslims to the fact that they are
becoming accustomed to "outrageous statements" from Wilders
(Ref C).

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PREPARING TO MAINTAIN PUBLIC SECURITY

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AT THE NATIONAL....

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7. (C)
A contact from the Dutch National Police (KLPD) Counter
Terrorism squad (UCTA) confirmed to Legatt Ofice January 16
the anticipated early February release date. He said it was
their understanding is that the film has not yet been
completed. He said that UCTA was preparing a summary of
national and local law enforcement preparations for the
release of the film; that summary is expected to be completed
and shared with foreign police liaison officers through the
KLPD's International Police Liaison Office (DINPOL) by January 18.

... AND LOCAL LEVELS

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8. (SBU)
A senior Amsterdam regional police official told the Consul
General January 16 that the police force has plans in place to
respond effectively to any incidents of violence in the wake
of the film's release. He acknowledged the possibility that
there could be "opportunistic" or spontaneous outbreaks of
violence in the city, but stressed that the municipal
government would not tolerate any violence or criminal acts.
He said that the police Community Liaison Officers had been in
close touch with community groups and imams, to assess
possible reactions and to urge calm. He noted that imams at
several mosques in the city had already begun to call in their
Friday sermons for calm in response to press reports about the
film's anticipated content. He assured the CG that the police
would be prepared to provide adequate protection to the
Consulate General should any demonstrations approach the
vicinity of the consulate. Similarly, an official from The
Hague regional police assured RSO that they have plans in
place to respond should violent incidents take place in the
vicinity of the Embassy, which is two blocks from the
Parliament buildings.

9. (U)
Over the January 12-13 weekend, the Amsterdam police detained
eight anti-Wilders protesters associated with the
International Socialists who displayed placards with a photo
of Wilders above a caption stating, "Extremist - can seriously
damage you and society" in a take-off of health warnings on
cigarette packets. Wilders stated that the protesters'
allegation that he was an extremist was "too disgusting for
words," but defended their right to protest since they did not
make threats against him. He said the police should have "let
them get on with it." Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen also expressed
surprise, and requested an explanation of why the police had
detained the protestors.

10. (SBU)
The director of the Rotterdam municipal government anti
radicalization program told a visiting staff delegation from
the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee
on January 10 that the city's public security department was
concerned about the potential for violence in the city
following release of the Wilders film. He said that the city
would work closely with community liaison officers to monitor
community responses and to urge calm. In a separate
conversation, a policy officer for the Platform for Islamic
Organizations in the Rijnmond Region (SPIOR), an umbrella
organization of 60 Islamic associations in the Rotterdam area,
told the staffdel that SPIOR is working closely with its
membership and the city to urge calm when the film is
released. She said that the potential for violent reactions
could not be ruled out, adding that there was a sense among
many younger Muslims in particular that Islam has been
repeatedly denigrated and the Wilders film would be a "step
too far." She expressed appreciation for the open
communication between her group and the city government.

11. (U)
According to press reports, Interior Minister Ter Horst, who
overseas the national police and the domestic intelligence
service, wrote to every mayor in the Netherlands in November
to request that they be alert to tensions between Muslims and
non-Muslims upon release of the Wilders film. The Ministry
offered assistance, which several towns reportedly have
accepted, in preparing contingency plans. The Minister's
letter was leaked to the press on January 16.

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COMMENT

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12. (C)
The Dutch at the national and local levels have been open with
us in acknowledging their concerns about the prospect for
violence at home and abroad in the wake of the release of
Wilder's film. The government appears prepared to respond
swiftly to get out a message that will stress the importance
of respect for freedom of expression while disassociating the
Dutch government from Wilder's views on the Koran and calling
for calm among key population groups at home and abroad.
Mission elements will maintain close contact with national and
local public safety officials to ensure mission security
posture is appropriate. Results of January 16 EAC meeting
reported Ref A.

Gallagher
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