Uncontrolled Fallout from the Pepperdine Conference: Herr Udo Ulfkotte

"Advocacy", meaning: abusing legal structures and procedures in order to bash Islamic organizations and persons (and their "dhimmy" allies), was one of the two policies that were developed in the famous Pepperdine Conference in Malibu, California in June 2007.
(See this Blog under the "Pepperdine Univ." tag; latest article in this series: Pepperdine 4: Daniel Pipes reveals his grand design).

Probably, Dr. Udo Ulfkotte (see below) did not need that advice. He is already busy applying that strategy in Europe. In July, he started legal actions against Berlin blogger Jochen Hoff (Duckhome) who published a critical article about Mr. U., and against Watchblog Islamophobie (bigberta), who had only linked to Hoff's article. Financing (in part?) his legal actions with money from his "Pax Europa" foundation (President: Ulfkotte, treasurer: a member of his family), Dr. U. claims more than 100.000 Euros from both bloggers.

Contributors to the "Pax" foundation, who sent money, thinking that it would be used for promoting "Judeo-Christian Values", may not be amused with the unexpected destination their money has got, now that it is going into the treasury of expensive lawyers.

Ulfkotte accepts help from Flemish extremists
Another application of the "advocacy" tactic appeared this week, when Ulfkotte visited Belgian extremist "Vlaams Belang" leader Philip Dewinter in Brussels. (See In Europa Zuhause (German): Udo Ulfkotte will in Brüssel Links und Rechts vereinen mit hilfe von Philip de Winter.) This is the story:

An "Anti-Eurabia" manifestation at the European Parliament buildings that Ulfkotte had announced for September 11, received but few response from the European public. Only the usual far-right little groups announced their participation. Brussels Mayor Thielemans forbade the event. Maybe to the relief of Ulfkotte, who may not have liked to have to march with a fine selection of European hooligans and baldheads. The interdiction opened an opportunity for Dr. U. to transfer his actions to a battlefield he seems to prefer: the courtroom.

The former "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" foreign editor (1986-2003) and "international security expert", in meeting publicly with a known extremist leader, who's party is "quarantined" by all other Belgian political parties, demonstrated a boundless political naivety, at the best.

Ulfkotte (left) and Philip Dewinter (right) meeting with VB-associated senator-lawyer Hugo Coveliers (foot) in the Belgian Parliament buildings on August 18, 2007 - Picture: Belgian daily "De Morgen".

At least, that is what he tries to make believe the Belgian journalists who surprised Ulfkotte and De Winter in the Belgian Parliament "Vlaams Belang" party-offices. Ulfkotte pretends that appealing to the Belgian High Court about the interdiction, is too difficult for a simple non-political German, and, "knowing nobody (else) in Belgium", he was compelled to accept an offer from the Vlaams Belang Party ("With whom wo do not cooperate", as he maintains in the interview) to take as his lawyer... a Vlaams Belang-affiliated Belgian Senator (Hugo Coveliers)!

Pepperdine protagonists Pipes, Steyn (also mentioned below), Hirsi Ali (tag), Leon de Winter (tag), Afshin Ellian (Dutch Islambasher of Iranian descent), Henryk Broder (German publicist), Arnaud de Montézac (Swiss-French lawyer who claims paternity of the 'advocacy' strategy) and others, are now getting perhaps the results they hoped for.
Staying themselves behind the screens, they hope to unleash "popular action" against Islamic property and persons, knowing well, that that would mean that forces they publicly reject will start pogrom-like events.
(Hirsi Ali, some years ago, as a Dutch parliamentarian, for instance, rejected categorically any association with De Winter's Vlaams Belang, but at Pepperdine, she gave the green light for "popular action", not excluding any possible ally).
For Pipes', Steyn's and Ali's theories about separating "real" policy (policy "of the first degree" - Steyn, which is about defense, morals and international relations) from "social action" (second degree), see my article Paul Wolfowitz and neocon Morals in huibslog.

The following characterization of Mr. Ulfkotte was published in the (English) Dialog International blog (German-American Opinion: politics and Culture):

Who is Udo Ulfkotte?

Speading fear and hate can be an excellent business model today; witness the success of the Canadian journalist Mark Steyn, who has made $millions urging persecution of Muslims in North America and ridiculing Europe for becoming an Islamic stronghold (Eurabia). Likewise there are a number of "experts" in Germany who make a nice living warning citizens of a Muslim takeover of Europe. One of the most absurd has to be the journalist, would-be politician and "security expert" Udo Ulfkotte. Ulfkotte is aligned with the hate-blog Politically Incorrect, but is much more ambitious than your average blogger. Ulfkotte has started his own association - Pax Europa - which is dedicated to stopping the Islamization of Europe. Recently Ulfkotte has announced that he wants to start a new political party in Germany - possibly to be called the Christlich-Ökologische Partei - which would emphasize "Christian" values over Islamic ones and reverse what he sees as "special rights" granted to the Muslim minority in Germany.

None of this is especially noteworthy; there are other "Islam-experts" such as Hans Peter Raddatz who regularly appear on television talk shows but who are not really taken seriously. What is different about Ulfkotte is his willingness to use his wealth to take legal actions against his critics. Omar at TooMuchCookies Network discusses recent actions taken by Ulfkotte and his attorneys against Jochen Hoff, a German blogger, for writing a critical blog post. Then Ulfkotte's sent a threatening letter to our blogger friend and colleague Big Berta simply for linking to that post in Watchblog Islamophobie.

Ulfkotte's legal bullying is really true to form for right-wing ideologues. The right-wing mindset has always been hostile to the idea of the free press. These people cannot win arguments in the marketplace of ideas, so they try to get satisfaction in the courts. I hope there is a Tsunami of criticism in the German blogosphere of Ulfkotte and his discredited ideas. The German press should no longer provide a forum to someone like Ulfkotte who obviously hates the principle of free speech.

Posted by David Vickrey on July 30, 2007 at 09:40 AM

Consequences of Ulfkotte's association with a racist movement
One of the main complaints against Hoff/bigberta is about Hoff's qualification "racist" for Ulfkotte. The German Court, who will have to pass judgment on that point, will now, if it subscribes to Ulfkotte's views, have to dissent from the Belgian Highest Court's 2004 sentence on the VB party, forerunner of the Vlaams Belang party, deeming it (partially) "racist", and forcing it to change its name and program. For Ulfkotte cannot deny any more, that he associates with racists. Such a conflicting opinion would inevitably lead to an appeal to the Luxembourg European High Court.

Ulfkotte should count his and Pax' money. For he is not going to have an easy and lucrative victory in the courtrooms.