The boycott is a great way to make your opinion known and to sanction a company, group, or in this case nation. Boycotts exercise and support free speech. I avoid Wal-Mart because of their reliance on Chinese goods. Remember, when Sam Walton was in charge, Wal-Mart was THE place to buy American. I don’t buy Tyson chicken because of their reliance on illegal alien labor. I know a lot of people who feel the same, even if they don’t make a big fuss about it. They just quietly vote with with wallets. But obviously it’s more effective to make a big splash, and while I think the AFA are generally idiots, they certainly are entitled to boycott whomever they like. And they do. Conversely, I made it a point to buy Danish products to show sammenhold after the MoToons.
So I think it’s great that many Islamists are threatening a boycott over Fitna instead of doing their Rage Boy act. It’s a surprisingly peaceful response from the alleged “religion of peace” even though it’s completely misguided in that they want to sanction a country for having free speech, instead of boycotting the movie itself. But then, it’s not misguided, is it? That’s the point. They’re not protesting Fitna so much as the fact that Geert Wilders enjoys free speech, which permits him to openly criticize Islam.
The best answer to free speech we disagree with is more free speech. So I was glad to see this Jawa Report post on a Petition in Support of Geert Wilders. His own country may not defend his right to free speech, choosing instead to cave in the face of a threatened boycott. But this petition offers some pushback:
IT IS RESOLVED that, in the event that the Dutch government attempts, in any way, to punish or prosecute Geert Wilders, civilly or criminally, for exercising his freedom of expression, the undersigned will initiate a boycott of any and all Dutch goods.
I signed. I hope you will, too. And in the event this does come down to a boycott, Ragnar has a list of some Dutch companies to start with. And if they do the right thing, I will make a point to buy some of those products.
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