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Wilders releases the film Fitna

On 27 March 2008 Wilders released Fitna, a short film linking the Quran to violence. In the causal graph this event weakens Social Cohesion, a driver that strengthens Having a say in government — a worsening welfare path.

Sources: [1][2][3][4]

Read the full account

On 27 March 2008 Wilders released Fitna, a short film linking the Quran to violence. Diplomatic protests followed. A film is a completed communication act, not a statute.

Geert Wilders released Fitna, a 17-minute film, online on 27 March 2008 after Dutch broadcasters declined to air it. The film intercut verses of the Quran with images of terrorist attacks and radical preachers, and Reuters reported condemnation from governments and organizations across the Islamic world. In 2018 Wilders co-sponsored an initiative bill to ban mosques and the Quran, which is recorded as a separate fact.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • Geert Wilders

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.8 · verified

    He produced and released it. Dutch courts later heard related cases. Foreign governments protested.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

    1. FactWilders releases the film Fitna
    2. weakensDriverSocial Cohesion
    3. strengthensIndicators (2)Having a say in government
    Worsening path

    impact weight 0.5 · Effect from 27 March 2008 · verified

    A nationally broadcast anti-Islam film intensifies religious-communal conflict.

    • Having a say in government

      via Social Cohesion

      Worse

      Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.23 (weight 0.5 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      29.8% of population aged 16-65 years · 8.13 below the normal line (2023)

      Worse than normal

      Two readings: 30.2% of population aged 16-65 years (2021) and 29.8% of population aged 16-65 years (2023).

      20212023

      Above normal = better

    • Rule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score

      via Social Cohesion

      Worse

      Weakens · Relationship strength 0.23 (weight 0.5 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      43.9 Score · 43.9 above the normal line (2024)

      Worse than normal

      26 readings, 1996–2024: rose from 43 Score to 43.9 Score.

      Normal is zero · any amount = worse

    1. FactWilders releases the film Fitna
    2. weakensDriverProtection of Minority Rights
    3. strengthensIndicators (2)Having a say in government
    Worsening path

    impact weight 0.3 · verified

    The anti-Islam political film stigmatizes a protected religious minority and weakens the named good condition of minority-rights protection; speech-only severity remains bounded. Impact type and direction use the same sign convention. Weight basis: Publication of an anti-Islam political film is a speech act directed at a protected religious minority; the low weight reflects expression rather than state coercion or enacted restriction. Weight 0.3 is the pack's qualitative severity class for this event, not an empirical coefficient.

    • Having a say in government

      via Protection of Minority Rights

      Worse

      Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.14 (weight 0.3 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      29.8% of population aged 16-65 years · 8.13 below the normal line (2023)

      Worse than normal

      Two readings: 30.2% of population aged 16-65 years (2021) and 29.8% of population aged 16-65 years (2023).

      20212023

      Above normal = better

    • Rule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score

      via Protection of Minority Rights

      Worse

      Weakens · Relationship strength 0.14 (weight 0.3 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      43.9 Score · 43.9 above the normal line (2024)

      Worse than normal

      26 readings, 1996–2024: rose from 43 Score to 43.9 Score.

      Normal is zero · any amount = worse

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified4 sources on file
  1. 1.Fitna, le film anti-islam de Geert WildersRFI · verified
  2. 2.El mundo islámico condena el vídeo del partido holandés que critica el CoránReuters via Cadena SER · verified
  3. 3.Reuters — Wilders releases FitnaReuters · High credibility · verified
  4. 4.Tweede Kamer — 2021 formationTweede Kamer · High credibility · verified

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorGeert Wilders
  2. contributed toFactWilders releases the film Fitna
  3. weakensDrivers (2)Social Cohesion
  4. strengthensIndicatorHaving a say in government

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). Wilders releases the film Fitna. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/nl-wilders-fitna-2008

https://factrail.ai/facts/nl-wilders-fitna-2008

Accessed 16 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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