Dutch MP appeals against UK ban

Mr Wilders was turned back at Heathrow Airport

A Dutch MP who was refused entry to Britain has launched an appeal against the Home Office's decision to ban him.

Freedom Party MP Geert Wilders has asked the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal to overturn the ruling.

He had been invited to show his film Fitna - which refers to the Koran as a "fascist book" - in the House of Lords when he was refused entry last month.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith had judged his presence in the UK to be a threat to public security.

After he was sent back to the Netherlands from Heathrow last month, the Home Office said there was a blanket ban on Mr Wilders' entry to the UK under EU laws enabling member states to exclude someone whose presence could threaten public security.

Holland's foreign minister, Maxime Verhagen, has described the refusal as "highly regrettable".

A spokesman for the Tribunals Service confirmed the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal had received an appeal from Mr Wilders.

His film caused outrage across the Muslim world when it was posted on the internet last year.

Screening go-ahead

Fitna's opening scenes show a copy of the Koran followed by footage of the 9/11 attacks in the US and the bombings in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005.

Mr Wilders had been invited to the House of Lords for a screening by the UK Independence Party's Lord Pearson.

It went ahead as planned, despite Mr Wilders' non-attendance.

Earlier this year, a Dutch court ordered prosecutors to put the MP on trial for inciting hatred and discrimination by making anti-Islamic statements.

A date for the appeal hearing is not likely to be set for four months.