The four members of the anti-Islam PVV in the European parliament on Wednesday refused to stand or to applaud the winners of this year’s Sacharov prize for freedom of thought.

The prize, awarded to ‘individuals who combat intolerance, fanaticism and oppression’ went to five activists in the Arab Spring uprising.
According to Barry Madlener, leader of the PVV delegation in Europe, ‘it is incredibly stupid to award the prize to an Arabic civil war’. There is no hope for democracy as long as Islam remains the dominant religion, he was quoted as saying.
Hans van Baalen, leader of the VVD Liberals in Europe, said the PVV’s decision was an insult to people who had risked their lives for the right to freedom of expression and had opposed religious and political fanaticism.