Free speech has lost another battle today, as Geert Wilders’ film Fitna has been removed from Liveleak.com. The cause? Threats sent to the staff of the video sharing site:

Following threats to our staff of a very serious nature, and some ill informed reports from certain corners of the British media that could directly lead to the harm of some of our staff, Liveleak.com has been left with no other choice but to remove Fitna from our servers.

This is a sad day for freedom of speech on the net but we have to place the safety and well being of our staff above all else. We would like to thank the thousands of people, from all backgrounds and religions, who gave us their support. They realised LiveLeak.com is a vehicle for many opinions and not just for the support of one.

Perhaps there is still hope that this situation may produce a discussion that could benefit and educate all of us as to how we can accept one anothers culture.

We stood for what we believe in, the ability to be heard, but in the end the price was too high.

I can’t hold animosity towards the staff of Liveleak. When others refused to even air it once, LL was there willing to stand up for free speech. Unfortunately, the forces looking to silence critics of Islam again take to threats of violence, rather than civil debate.

Meanwhile, what does the UN Human Rights Council concern itself with? Making sure governments actually prohibit criticism of religions, namely Islam.

Update: Allah at Hot Air writes:

Wilders’s point proven.

Indeed.

Update: If you haven’t seen it yet, Fitna is still very available on the net. It’s posted on YouTube, Google Video, and Mininova. I’ve also embedded it below: