The international reaction to Fitna consisted of condemnation from Muslims, several fatwa against Geert Wilders, and attempts by many Islamic countries to censor the film. The Dutch government immediately distanced itself from the film. Several Muslim organizations and political parties organized boycotts against Dutch products.
Prior to the release
It was feared that the film would lead to violent demonstrations by Muslims much like the organized protests against the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons that were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in 2005. The Dutch counter-terrorism agency raised its terror risk level from "limited" to "substantial", noting Islamist death threats against Wilders and calls to attack Dutch troops. Previous violence included the burning of the Danish embassy in Syria and other acts of violence around the world, including the murder of a Catholic nun.
In the Netherlands
The movie was first mentioned in the Dutch media on November 27, 2007. The Dutch government almost immediately expressed great concern about the film release. It made evacuation plans available to all its consulates and embassies worldwide and tightened security measures around military installations abroad.
The Prime minister of the Netherlands, Jan Peter Balkenende, worried about possible repercussions for Dutch citizens and economic interests. In response Wilders accused Balkenende of capitulating to Islam.
Wilders had been warned by Dutch National Counterterrorism Co-ordinator Tjibbe Joustra that his film may "lead to reactions that endanger public order, security and the economy". The publication of the film was investigated by the Dutch Ministry of Justice to find out whether the release of the film could be prevented, but this could not be done. In an opinion poll, 54% of Dutch people still believed that the film should be released, despite any possible negative effects.
On March 6, 2008, the Dutch government raised its national risk level of a terrorist attack from the status 'limited' to 'substantial' because of concerns that Muslim terrorists would launch attacks against European targets, using the film as justification.
A demonstration against the release of the film occurred in Dam Square, in Amsterdam, on 22 March 2008. In response to concerns, Dutch broadcaster Radio Netherlands Worldwide created a multi-language website to detail the film, the surrounding controversy, its creator, and the nation of its origin. The Dutch newspaper De Pers printed a reconstruction of how the concerns came about and who was responsible for them.
A large advertisement was placed on the front page of de Volkskrant stating that if Wilders had said the things he has said about Muslims, about Jews, he would have been prosecuted for antisemitism. The advertisement was endorsed by the Jewish organisations Stichting de Initiavieven and Een Ander Joods Geluid.
Other reactions
On 7 April 2008, Indonesia blocked access to YouTube and a number of other websites, such as MySpace and Multiply. Minister of Menkon Info Muhammad Nuh passed a bill that forced 146 ISP's in Indonesia to block access to YouTube on Monday. Kompas confirmed that the reason for the block was YouTube's refusal to remove Fitna from their servers. The block has now been removed, and the foreign relation minister has apologised to the people for any inconvenience.
Also it banned in Malaysia due to its Islamic content and violent nature.
The EU alerted its diplomatic missions around the world to expect a reaction to the release of the film.
NATO said it feared that the consequences of Fitna would affect the safety of troops in Afghanistan. Indeed, Zabihullah Mujahid stressed that the Taliban would increase their attacks on Dutch military and humanitarian peacekeepers in Afghanistan, if the film were released.
President Nicolas Sarkozy declared that France would provide the support to the Netherlands in the event of international problems.
Iran threatened to review its diplomatic stance with the Netherlands if the film was aired. Public protests occurred in Kabul, Afghanistan. Egypt said it was closely monitoring the situation.
In February 2008, Pakistan internally banned YouTube for several days due to a video clip one report claimed to be a trailer for Fitna; the ban was lifted a few days later. As a result of the block, Pakistan accidentally caused YouTube to be unavailable worldwide for two hours.