The reason for the refusal includes reprehensible statements made by the speakers in the past about women and homosexuals. There have also been trivializing remarks about sexual intercourse with minors, and one of the speakers denied the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
These statements can contribute to a climate of hatred, hostility, and glorification of violence. The arrival of the speakers, who were to speak at an event in the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, is therefore unwanted.
Minister Marjolein Faber (Asylum and Migration): “It is unacceptable that Islamic speakers want to misuse our freedom for hate-filled speeches. Our Dutch dikes cannot be high enough to keep out hatred, aggression, and glorification of violence.”