Posted on 05/07/2002 10:43:20 AM PDT by It'salmosttolate
Lone gunman kills Dutch far-Right leader
By Ambrose Evans Pritchard in Brussels and David
Graves in Hilversum
(Filed: 07/05/2002)
PIM FORTUYN, the maverick leader of Holland's anti-immigration party, was shot dead yesterday as he left a radio station. The assassination came just nine days before a general election was expected to give him the balance of power in parliament.
The flamboyant and openly gay politician was shot six times in the head, neck and chest by a lone gunman outside the headquarters of Dutch national radio and television.
Witnesses said that a man in a baseball cap opened fire as Mr Fortuyn, 54, was about to get into a chauffeur-driven car in the car park of the media centre in Hilversum, about 10 miles south-east of Amsterdam. Hours after the shooting, his body lay where he was shot, covered by a white sheet.
Police said last night that a 33-year-old white Dutchman had been arrested. His house was being searched but there was no indication of a motive.
Wim Kok, the prime minister, confirmed that Mr Fortuyn was dead in an emotional television address after halting a campaign engagement.
"I am shocked. This is a deep tragedy for those close to him, for his loved ones and for our country and our democracy. This is not just an assassination attempt on Pim Fortuyn but also on Dutch democracy."
Mr Kok said that Holland was a tolerant country "where political disputes should be settled with words, not guns".
Mr Fortuyn caused shock waves after he and his followers won 17 of 45 council seats in Rotterdam's elections in March with an aggressive nationalist and anti-immigrant platform.
He had taken charge of the political debate during the campaign for next week's election with attacks on the growing Muslim population and strident criticism of the government. He called Islam a "backward" culture.
His Pim Fortuyn List party was expected to win between 23 and 25 seats in the parliament out of a total of 150, making it the second or third largest political group.
The election was to be the next big test of European anti-immigration parties after Jean-Marie Le Pen reached the last round of the French presidential election.
Mr Fortuyn had recently expressed fears for his safety. A few weeks ago, protesters threw two cream pies laced with urine in his face. "It's a scandal that the Justice Department did not take action after the pie incident," said his lawyer, Oscar Hammerstein.
Tony Blair expressed his "shock". A statement issued by Downing Street said: "The Prime Minister has been informed and he shares the sense of real shock there will be in The Netherlands. No matter what feelings political figures arouse, the ballot box is the place to express them."
Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, said: "I am profoundly shocked at the news and I am conveying my condolences to his family and friends through our ambassador in The Hague."
Mr Blair called off a visit to Holland today where he was due to have talks with Mr Kok and to campaign on behalf of Socialist leader Ad Melkert. But the rally by the ruling Dutch Labour Party that Mr Blair had been due to attend was cancelled.
Several Dutch political parties called for a halt in the campaign though there was no immediate demand to postpone the May 15 vote. The head of the Liberal Party, VVD, Hans Dijkstal, immediately halted his party's campaign.
Mr Melkert described the shooting as "appalling". He added: "It's hard to grasp that this can happen here. Dutch democracy has lost its innocence."
Louis Michel, Belgium's foreign minister, said the political atmosphere in Europe was "already very delicate . . . This on top, is of course, very dangerous".
Frank Vanhecke, leader of Belgium's extreme-Right Vlaams Blok party, said he was "shocked but not surprised" by the attack. "Throughout Europe we have faced a climate of hate and even calls for violence against politicians who question political correctness, just like Mr Fortuyn had done."
Mr Fortuyn had occasional bodyguards, but his lawyer said he did not have enough money to hire round-the-clock armed protection.
Harry Mens, a close friend who talked to Mr Fortuyn on the telephone yesterday morning, said Mr Fortuyn was worried about threats made in recent days against him. "He did not want to return to Rotterdam this evening."
Hundreds of Mr Fortuyn's supporters broke into the garage of the Dutch parliament in The Hague, waving posters of the slain leader. Cars were set on fire, and police rushed in reinforcements.
Dutch television said Mr Kok's offices were evacuated and an emergency cabinet meeting was postponed.
Riots in France, assassination in the Netherlands, tolerance has brought us Utopia.
Or an angry ex-lover, a la Versace.
In a way, belonging to an elite class is a package deal. One has to swallow the whole package of agendas. If one those who are supposed to belong to this group, like gays, broke ranks and make an issue out of some of items in the package, he runs the risk of being labeled as a traitor, which is worse than being a consistent enemy. The left has been piggy-bagging new controversial issues on top of established issues and push them as a package. If one challenge the new controversial one, he is as bad as challenging the old established items in the package, which by that time are hallowed truth. And demonization campaign starts. Fortuyn was undermining such piggy-bagging and his advance could set back their whole cause. At least somebody did think so.
Don't believe it will not happen here. It will.
I have to agree. In this case, What is happening in Europe will happen here in time-delay. I am not sure it is a couple of years down the road or 5 years down the road. But it will not take a decade as many seem to think.
could be because he was gay sorry had to say that
Or an angry ex-lover, a la Versace.
Right before a major election, when he is expected to make big gains? That's rather too much of a coincidence to be fobbed off as "an angry ex-lover"; who would have to come out of nowhere. Whereas angry leftists who want to shoot people are rather common.
if the press knows where he lived, they know who he is...the lack of info on the suspect grows more suspicious by the minute...
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