November 16, 2004, the Hague. The proposal from Dutch Minister of Justice Piet Hein Donner to strengthen the anti-blasphemy provisions of the criminal code has been rejected by a majority of the Tweede Kamer, the country's parliament. Donner put forth the proposal shortly after the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, but denied that Van Gogh's death had anything to do with the proposal. NOS reported that Donner's own party, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), supported his proposal. However, their two coalition partners — the People's Party for  Democracy (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie, VVD) and Democrats 66 (D66) — announced they would not back the ban. The Labour Party, the largest opposition party, also refused to vote in favour. Without their support, the motion could not be passed. Consequently, NRC Handelsblad reports, Donner withdrew his proposal.
 The proposal from Dutch Minister of Justice Piet Hein Donner to strengthen the anti-blasphemy provisions of the criminal code has been rejected by a majority of the Tweede Kamer, the country's parliament. Donner put forth the proposal shortly after the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, but denied that Van Gogh's death had anything to do with the proposal. NOS reported that Donner's own party, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), supported his proposal. However, their two coalition partners — the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie, VVD) and Democrats 66 (D66) — announced they would not back the ban. The Labour Party, the largest opposition party, also refused to vote in favour. Without their support, the motion could not be passed. Consequently, NRC Handelsblad reports, Donner withdrew his proposal.
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November 16, 2004, the Hague.
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Freedom and