Dutch cartoonist arrested for 'insulting people'

[audtatious]

Cartoonist known for mocking Muslims, leftists has received death threats

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A Dutch political cartoonist was arrested this week on suspicion of insulting people because of their race or religion through his work, authorities said Friday.

The cartoonist, who works under the pseudonym Gregorius Nekschot, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of violating hate speech laws and held overnight before being released, a spokeswoman for his publisher Uitgeverij Xtra said.

"He was arrested with a great show of force, by around 10 policemen," the spokeswoman said.

She asked that her name not be used, and declined to give Nekschot's real name, because the cartoonist and publisher have both received death threats.

Nekschot is known primarily for cartoons mocking Muslims and leftists, though the spokeswoman said he is a satirist who targets "any strong ideology."

Amsterdam public prosecutor spokeswoman Sanne van Meteren said Nekschot remains a suspect in a criminal investigation.

"We suspect him of insulting people on the basis of their race or belief, and possibly also of inciting hate," she said.

Each is a crime punishable by up to a year in prison under Dutch hate speech laws — or two years for multiple offenses.

Police seize computer, sketches

Nekschot publishes primarily on several Web sites, including his own, but has also been featured on the Web site of Theo van Gogh, the filmmaker who was murdered by a Muslim radical in November 2004.

The cartoonist also works for HP/De Tijd, a major Dutch language weekly news magazine, and he has published two books.

One recent cartoon on his Web site caricatured a Christian fundamentalist and Muslim fundamentalist as zombies who met at an anti-gay rally and now wished to marry.

Van Meteren said prosecutors were investigating a complaint that dated from 2005. They are now focusing on eight or nine published cartoons, she said, but prosecutors are not disclosing which ones.

Nekschot did not answer police questions during his arrest, she said, appealing to his right to remain silent to avoid self-incrimination.

The spokeswoman for Xtra said police had seized Nekschot's computer, sketches, CDs, DVDs and telephone at the time of his arrest.

[Sil40_Mayhem]

Hmm, they must've run out of drugs over there and everybody's mellow wore off.

[audtatious]

More like using the law to end any form of expression at this point. Sure don't want to upset the muslims altho it is OK to tell Christians to STFU or show pictures of Jesus doing stupid stuff....

[rn79870]

Sort of makes you love our 1st. Amendment all the more.

[Sil40_Mayhem]

More like using the law to end any form of expression at this point. Sure don't want to upset the muslims altho it is OK to tell Christians to STFU or show pictures of Jesus doing stupid stuff....

I couldn't agree with you more. I don't mind people having religious beliefs. I don't even mind fundamentalists (of any kind). It's the radicals and extremists that tend to put a bad taste in people's mouths. The point of my original statement was a tongue-in-cheek reference to how laid back a lot of people portray Amsterdam. Like you can do a line of coke off of a cop car and not get so much as a ticket.

The freedom of speech/expression is a two-edged sword. That freedom allows for things to be expressed that some of us would not care for at all. But given the choice between having truly free speech and not having it, I'd rather hear something I'd rather not than to be unable to express myself in the way I so choose.

[audtatious]

Sort of makes you love our 1st. Amendment all the more.

Our 1st Amendment rights will only get you so far today and the freedom it gives us is being choked more and more each year. Ask the Mexican chic who is having to pay a fine for calling the black kids in the neighbors tree "monkeys" if she has the right to say what she wants under the 1st Amendment.