Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Geert Wilders, the Dutch lawmaker who made a film linking the Koran to violence, described his success in overturning a ban on entry to the U.K. as a victory for freedom of speech.

“Being here in the U.K is a victory, not so much for myself, but for freedom of speech,” said Wilders, leader of the Dutch Freedom Party, at a news conference today in an annex of the House of Lords in London.

The event had been planned to take place outside and was moved inside for security reasons after a group of Muslim protesters began chanting slogans such as “Wilders go to hell” and “democracy, hypocrisy.”

Wilders last tried to visit the U.K. on Feb. 12 for a screening of his film, “Fitna,” and a debate with British lawmakers in an event organized by lawmaker Malcolm Pearson. The Dutchman was denied access by immigration officials at Heathrow airport and sent home by then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who said his presence could spark violence.

Britain’s Asylum and Immigration Tribunal overturned the ban on Oct. 13, ruling that while Wilders’s opinions were expressed in a way that was bound to cause offense, freedom of speech is important in a democratic society and there was no evidence to suggest that he poses a threat.

The Home Office said yesterday it wouldn’t deny Wilders access this time and that the Dutchman’s statements and conduct during his visit would influence any future decisions on whether to admit him. The ministry also said it will take a final view on whether to appeal the tribunal’s decision once the court’s written judgment is made available next week.

Wilders told reporters today he hoped the U.K. “would never again turn away a democratically elected politician because they didn’t like what they have to say.”

‘Islamization’

Wilders said he has “nothing against Muslims,” noting that the majority of them are law-abiding.

“My main message is I have a problem with the Islamization of our societies,” he said. “I have a problem with Islamic ideology, with Islamic culture. The more Islam we get in our society, the less freedom we will have.”

The Dutchman said he won’t screen “Fitna,” which means social unrest or civil war in Arabic, during his visit this week, though he plans to do so at a later date.

In “Fitna,” Wilders calls for Muslims to rip out “hate- preaching” verses from the Koran. The Muslim holy book is “fascist,” he said in an editorial for the De Volkskrant paper, and should be banned under the same Dutch incitement laws used to ban Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

Sept. 11

Wilders released his film on the Internet in 2008, featuring verses from the Koran alongside images of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S. It led to protests in majority-Muslim nations, such as Indonesia and Pakistan, and calls for a boycott of Dutch products in Malaysia.

The Dutchman, who was flanked by a security officer, told reporters he has been living under 24-hour police protection for the past five years after receiving threats from al-Qaeda-linked groups.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende has said the film serves no purpose other than to offend. U.K. lawmaker Pearson said “Fitna” raises important questions about jihad and religious violence.

The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal said substantial evidence of harm would be needed for a government to prevent the expression and discussion of matters that might influence the opinions of legislators, policy makers and voters.

Freedom Party

Wilders, whose Freedom Party won nine of the 150 seats in the November 2006 Dutch parliamentary elections, faces trial at home in January for allegedly inciting hatred against Muslims by comparing their religion to Nazism.

The Home Office defended this week its actions in February, saying it still believes the presence of Wilders may lead to inter-communal violence. The ministry can stop people entering the U.K. if it believes there is a threat to national security, public order or the safety of U.K. citizens.

Among protesters outside Wilders’s news conference, was Sayf al-Islam, who declined to say if he represented a group and was holding a sign reading “Sharia Law for the Netherlands.”

“One needs to put this man on a leash,” al-Islam said, “I want him tried in an Islamic court, I want a Sharia ruling on him.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Caroline Alexander in London at calexander1@bloomberg.net; Ali Sheikholeslami in London at alis2@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 16, 2009 10:37 EDT