'Racism' tunes radio out

2005-08-17 18:41

Copenhagen - A Danish radio station whose host issued an on-air call to "exterminate" fanatical Muslims in Western Europe has had its broadcasting license revoked for three months, said reports on Wednesday.

After last month's bombings in London, Kaj Vilhelmsen, a pundit on the extreme right wing local Copenhagen station, Radio Holger, said terrorism could only be fought by "chasing all the Muslim foreigners from Western Europe so that they can't plant bombs".

He said the only other option was "to exterminate the fanatics, or in other words kill a large number of Muslim immigrants".

Discriminatory comments to Islam

The Danish news agency, Ritzau, reported that announcing its decision to temporarily revoke the station's licence, Denmark's broadcasting authority said the comments were discriminatory to Islam and Muslims.

Vilhelmsen said he would appeal against the decision.

Ritzau said: "If they shut us down we'll just start up something else so we can spread the message of a Danish Denmark."

Vilhelmsem had already been charged with violating anti-racism laws, and faced up to two years in prison if convicted.

About three percent of Denmark's 5.4 million inhabitants were Muslims. A large majority of the population was Protestant.

- AFP