7 May 2002: Lone gunman kills Dutch far-Right leader

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http://www.religionnewsblog.com/2855-.html

Fortuyn killer was protecting Dutch Muslims

Ananova, Mar. 27, 2003
http://www.ananova.com

The man who confessed to killing Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn has told a court he did it to protect the country's Muslim minority from Fortuyn's anti-immigration policies.

Volkert van der Graaf, a 33-year-old animal rights activist, was arrested moments after Fortuyn was shot in a car park outside a radio studio last May.

At the start of his trial, he openly answered questions about the motives behind the first political assassination in modern Dutch history.

Although Van der Graaf confessed, under Dutch law prosecutors need to present their case to a panel of judges. There are no jury trials in the Netherlands.

"(The idea) was never concrete until the last moment, the day before the attack," Van der Graaf said, "I confess to the shooting." He also confessed to illegal possession of firearms and sending Fortuyn threats before carrying out the attack.

Van der Graaf said he had followed Fortuyn's career as a columnist for a popular national magazine and had was concerned he was using "the weak parts of society to score points" and gain political power.

Muslims in the Netherlands were being used as "scapegoats," he said. "I saw it as a danger, but what should you do about it?" he said "I hoped that I could solve it myself."

He is charged with premeditated murder and faces life in prison if convicted. During several days of hearings, judges will consider his mental state at the time of the shooting and whether he can be held accountable for his actions.

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MIM: Note that Vokert van de Graaf , Fortuyn's killer, told the court that "he acted on behalf of the country's Muslims" and that "prosecutors have not ruled out the possibility that he may have worked with others".

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http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/03/27/netherlands.fortuyn.trial/index.html

Fortuyn Killer 'acted for Muslims'

The man accused of assassinating Dutch anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn has told judges he acted on behalf of the country's Muslims.

Volkert Van der Graaf, 33, said during his first court appearance in Amsterdam on Thursday that Fortuyn was using "the weakest parts of society to score points" and gain political power.

Van der Graaf, who is charged with premeditated murder, pleaded guilty to illegally possessing firearms and sending Fortuyn threats before carrying out the attack, the Associated Press reports.

Although he allegedly confessed to the killing, under Dutch law prosecutors must present their case to a panel of judges. There are no jury trials in the Netherlands.

"(The idea) was never concrete until the last moment, the day before the attack," the news agency reported Van der Graaf as saying.

"I saw it as a danger, but what should you do about it?" he said. "I hoped that I could solve it myself."

Fortuyn, an academic and columnist, was running for the post of prime minister on an anti-immigration platform.

The proceedings are being held in a high-security courtroom, nicknamed "The Bunker," which is separated by a bulletproof glass barrier.

Onlookers continually interrupted the proceedings, denouncing Van der Graaf as a murderer and chanting "Life! Life!" to press for a tough sentence.

He briefly scanned the public gallery for familiar faces, avoiding eye contact with Fortuyn's two brothers, Maarten and Simon, sitting nearby.

One woman stood up to demand Van der Graaf be jailed for life, saying he "devastated the country," before being dragged out by court officials to join a handful of Fortuyn supporters outside.

Prosecutors began by showing a video animation reconstructing the pursuit of Van Der Graaf by Fortuyn's driver and several other witnesses of the murder.

The accused had been arrested minutes after the shooting in a car park outside a radio studio where the killing took place in May 2002. He had the murder weapon in his pocket and his trousers were spattered with Fortuyn's blood, AP said.

The killing of Fortuyn, days before the country was to go to the polls in a general election, sent shockwaves through the Netherlands and propelled Fortuyn's party and his anti-immigration policy into a three-party right-wing coalition government.

But the administration later collapsed amid political bickering and infighting. New elections were held in January which saw public support for his party, the Fortuyn List, collapse.

Van der Graaf, a father-of-one, allegedly confessed to the killing last November, saying he was worried Fortuyn was gaining too much power and posed a threat to "vulnerable members of society."

The agriculture university graduate has gone on hunger strike for more than two months complaining of 24-hour camera surveillance in his cell. The trial, held in a high-security courtroom, is expected to take several days.

Van der Graaf, whose lawyers represented him at several earlier hearings, remains the only suspect in the case. However, prosecutors have not ruled out that he may have worked with others.

He faces a life sentence if found guilty.

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"Trial of confessed murderer of Dutch politician opens in Amsterdam"

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/03/27/international0748EST0544.DTL

MIM: Excerpt from AP article states that chemicals for explosives were found at the home of the killer :

"...A graduate of the country's leading agriculture university, Van der Graaf became a successful litigator against commercial animal farming. At the time of the murder, he lived with his longtime girlfriend and baby daughter.

He remains the only suspect in the case, although prosecutors never ruled out that he may have worked with others. In raids of the couple's home, police investigators recovered chemicals needed to make explosives and bullets matching those found at the crime scene."

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11/15/04

MIM: Translation: Fortuyn proclaimed as "The Greatest Dutchman'

On Monday evening Pim Fortuyn was proclaimed "The Greatest Dutchman of All Time'. In the final which was broadcast live from on Nederland 1 ( a major TV channel), the murdered politician took the lead over 'William of Orange' the father of the Fatherland (second) and politician Willem Drees (third).

The winner was announced after being judged on points of leadership,legacy,courage,personality,and societal skills. Hundreds of thousands of Dutch participated in the contest via the internet and the telephone .

Ten people were nominated out of a list of one hundred.Next to the 10 finalists Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Anne Frank,Michiel de Ruyter,Vincent van Gogh, Erasmus,Rembrandt van Rijn, and Johan Kruijf who was the only living person in the top ten.

Ambassadors

In the past weeks 10 ambassadors did their best to promote the person whom they thought was most deserving of the title. One person was highlighted in each week's broadcast. People could cast their votes via the website www.degrootstenederlander for the nine men and one woman.

Pim Fortuyn was in the top then since the 23rd of October. That continued to be the case until Sunday, the final day before the vote. There were 370,000 votes at that moment. William of Orange rose to second place on Sunday,after an election special had been held about him on Saturday. As a result of this Willem Drees fell to third place. During the live broadcast on Monday night, where ambassadors and spectators debated, and those at home could vote up to six times, the list didnt change.

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Fortuyn Uitgeroepen tot Grootste Nederlander'

http://www.nrc.nl/ANP/BIN/ANP-151104-470-anp.html

HILVERSUM (ANP) - Pim Fortuyn is maandagavond uitgeroepen tot De Grootste Nederlander aller tijden. In de finale, die rechtstreeks werd uitgezonden op Nederland 1, liet de vermoorde politicus de Vader des Vaderlands Willem van Oranje (tweede) en politicus Willem Drees (derde) achter zich.

De winnaar werd bekend na een beoordeling op de punten leiderschap, nalatenschap, moed, genialiteit en medemenselijkheid. Honderdduizenden Nederlanders deden de afgelopen weken via internet en via de telefoon mee aan de uitverkiezing.

Tien personen waren genomineerd uit een lijst van honderd. Naast de drie finalisten waren dat Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Anne Frank, Michiel de Ruyter, Vincent van Gogh, Erasmus, Rembrandt van Rijn en Johan Cruyff, de enige nog levende in de toptien.

Ambassadeurs

In de afgelopen weken deden tien ambassadeurs hun best degene die naar hun idee de titel verdiende, te promoten. In een wekelijkse uitzending werd telkens een persoon eruit gelicht. Via de website www.degrootstenederlander.nl kon worden gestemd op de negen mannen en een vrouw.

Pim Fortuyn stond sinds 23 oktober aan kop in de toptien. Dat was nog steeds het geval op zondag, de dag voor de finale-uitzending. Op dat moment waren er 370.000 stemmen uitgebracht. Willem van Oranje steeg zondag naar de tweede plaats, nadat zaterdag een verkiezingsspecial over hem was uitgezonden. Willem Drees zakte hierdoor naar de derde plaats. Tijdens de rechtsreekse uitzending maandagavond, waarin de ambassadeurs debatteerden en kijkers tot zes keer toe een stem konden uitbrengen, veranderde de ranglijst niet meer.

Geactualiseerd om 23.38 uur

Zie ook: www.degrootstenederlander.nl

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Assassination Silences a Powerful Voice

Restrictionist politician Pim Fortuyn
murdered on eve of reaching power

Telling the truth about excessive immigration — that it causes rapid overpopulation and social fracturing — has not been a path to popularity in these politically correct times. The mildest suggestion that a policy that may have been beneficial in the 19th century has overgrown its usefulness immediately brings accusations of racism and xenophobia. Of course, even immigration lawyers know better than to advocate overpopulation, so hurling hateful epithets remains a basic strategy.

However, words have power and if someone is called a racist often enough, an impressionable mind may decide that saving the world from the latest Hitler will require that person's murder.

Some version of that scenario appears to have taken place in the Netherlands on May 6, 2002, with the political assassination of Pim Fortuyn, a rising star in Dutch politics who could possibly have become the next Prime Minister. A man identified only as an "animal rights activist" shot him down in the street near a radio station.

Certainly Professor Fortuyn's notoriety played a part in his being targeted. Both the media and Dutch politicians in the ruling party attacked him mercilessly in the most disparaging language. Prime Minister Wim Kok called him a fascist, as did the European press. Anyone who objects to massive Muslim immigration is branded automatically as a racist, xenophobe and fascist. Mr. Fortuyn was regularly compared with real right-winger Jean Le Pen, although aside from the immigration issue, the men had nothing in common.

Fortuyn Broke the Stereotype
Pim Fortuyn was a flamboyant gay man — hardly a jack-booted fascist as the media sought to portray him. He condemned Muslim immigration because those newcomers to Holland refused to assimilate to the socially liberal Netherlands society, in which gay sexuality is as acceptable as straight. Problems have been stressful in highly impacted Rotterdam, Fortuyn's home city, where the Muslim population is estimated to be as high as 45 percent. Fortuyn stated, "I have gay friends who have been beaten up by young Moroccans in Rotterdam." His immigration philosophy derived precisely because of the socially tolerant nature of the Netherlands, a quality he treasured and wanted to preserve.

Like many in Holland, Fortuyn did not want to live in a northern extension of Morocco. A recent poll found that 50 percent of young Dutch people want no more Muslim immigration. As Fortuyn remarked, "in Rotterdam we have third-generation Moroccans who still don't speak Dutch, oppress women and won't live by our values." While campaigning on the idea of ending Islamic immigration entirely, he believed that the government should do more to aid assimilation to Dutch society of Muslims who were already there. Interestingly, the second-in-command person in the political party Pim Fortuyn's List was a black Caribbean immigrant, Joao Varela. Differences were understood to be about culture, not race.

An outspoken gay man professing concern over the loss of Western values apparently gave headaches to many in the press, who like their stereotypes as simple as possible. Some chose to ignore Fortuyn's clear message about the threat to socially liberal Holland from authoritarian Islam and continued name-calling even after his assassination. The most stubbornly politically correct insisted on describing him as "extreme right wing" and "fascist" for his restrictionist views about immigration. Newspaper columnist Prof. dr B. Smalhout reflected on the media's role in demonizing the man before his murder: "Pim Fortuyn was made an outcast by politically correct Netherlands He was depicted as a fake professor, a second Hitler… a neo-Nazi, a narcissistic homosexual and a political outcast. Practically all the media took part, it was the fashionable thing to do, to have a go at Professor Pim."

Pim Fortuyn's Message
It is dangerous business to gaze into a crystal ball about what might have been. But a gay prime minister of a European nation who came to power on a platform of limiting immigration would have gotten major media attention in America, no doubt about it. And Professor Fortuyn was expert at presenting his views when given a chance. He was enormously popular among the Dutch, particularly the young. Numerous Dutch remarked that Fortuyn voiced sentiments that everyone had. Huge crowds appeared on the streets of Rotterdam after the assassination protesting the media and government's part in the death. (Despite many death threats, candidate Fortuyn was given no police protection.)

A prolific author and former sociology professor, one of his most popular books was the recent "Against the Islamicization of Our Culture." He called himself the Dutch Samuel Huntington, drawing attention to the similarity of views with those of the author of "The Clash of Civilizations," a book newly popular after the terrorist attacks, based on a 1993 Foreign Affairs article. Fortuyn remarked, "What we are witnessing now is a clash of civilizations, not just between states but within them."

The active presence of an elected Pim Fortuyn would have been enormously useful to refute the media stereotypes about the sort of person who supports immigration reduction. Fortuyn was certainly a social liberal in all categories other than immigration, favoring Dutch legality of soft drugs and euthanasia. Ever the independent thinker, he appreciated the economic policies of Margaret Thatcher.

Perhaps most importantly, Pim Fortuyn asked whether a society should welcome immigrants who disdain the culture of that nation and refuse to assimilate. Should women and gays, who have only recently received civil rights historically speaking, embrace millions who despise their freedom, even their existence? Why should citizens welcome a cultural group that threatens their rights and safety? As Professor Fortuyn observed, "I say multicultural society doesn't work. We're not living closer, we're living apart."

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MIM: The title of Pim Fortuyn's book is : The Islamisation of our culture" - ' Dutch identity as foundation' .

In his article "Battered Westerner syndrome inflicted by Muslim's myopic defenders" Mark Steyn wrote:

"...Islam For All reported the other day that, at present demographic rates, in 20 years' time the majority of Holland's children (the population under 18) will be Muslim. It will be the first Islamic country in western Europe since the loss of Spain. Europe is the colony now..." http://jewishworldreview.com/0802/steyn.html

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MIM: Brenda Walker the author of this piece runs a website which shows the links between enviornmentalists,globalists, and 'facism' called "Limits to Growth".

http://www.limitstogrowth.org/index.html

Click link at top of article for more information on Pim Fortuyn and see Pim Fortuyn Pages:

http://pim-fortuyn.pagina.nl/

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MIM: Pim Fortuyn was shot 5 times at point blank range as he was leaving a studio. The police said the killer was a "practiced and cold blooded marksman"

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Fortuyn's killer, a Dutchman named Volkert van der Graf was an animal rights activist and leftist who said he murdered Fortuyn to prevent him from reviving the mink trade in Holland . Van der Graaf later stated that 'he did it to protect Muslims" . For information on Dutch left wing groups see :http://www.volkertvandergraaf.net/

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Excerpt ' On Tiptoe through the Tulips' 7/29/02

"...Some Muslims bring with them a culture of religious extremism, encouraged in part by religious schools — at least one-third of which are funded by the Saudis, according to a government report. The report also revealed that 20 percent of Holland's Islamic schools receive funding from the radical Islamic organization Al-Waqf al-Islami, or have radical Muslims on their boards. The government warned that the country's Islamic schools showed very little commitment to preparing their students for integration into Dutch society.

"... More troubling , the government intelligence service warned as long as a decade ago that the Netherlands was becoming a center of Islamic terrorist recruitment and operations. Since September 11, terrorism experts have warned that violent Islamic extremists are conducting operations in Holland, in part because the country's deeply ingrained taboo against intolerance gives them relative freedom from scrutiny.

"...According to criminologist Chris Rutenfrans, a study in 2000 found that 33 percent of all criminal suspects are foreign-born, as are 55 percent of prison inmates. An astonishing 63 percent of those convicted of homicide are immigrants — Moroccans, Antilleans, and sub-Saharan Africans are the chief culprits. "The reason always given to explain these statistics is that they live in deprived circumstances," says Rutenfrans. "But other minorities are similarly deprived, and they aren't criminals..."

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MIM: Fortuyn who was openly homosexual, took issue with the fact that Holland's Muslims were permitted to advocate violence against homosexuals and other groups from the mosques and schools which were totally antithetical to the tolerant attitudes which characterise Dutch society. In "Allah Weet Het Beter " Theo van Gogh wrote:

... Imam's and all the exponents of the belief that women, Jews, homo's and everything which deviates from Allah's precepts must be exterminated should be allowed to speak out. That is the only way to locate our mortal enemies. Legal action and eventual judgements against their speaches will solve nothing, and not protect the minorities involved. It will result in the poison from the Koran which is now being openly stated being forced underground where it will become a smoldering fire".

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MIM: In 2003 Theo van Gogh 'confronted' Diab Abou Jah Jah, the leader of the Belgium Arab European League in Amsterdam. Abou Jah Jah refused to debate Theo who then called Abou Jah Jah "a pimp of the prophet". He was threatened by Abou Jah Jah's bodyguards and warned by people to "be careful!"

A translation of Theo van Gogh's account of the evening can be read at: http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/89

"...That was a big deal, last week on Saturday evening in the Amsterdam State Theater.The room erupted after I had called Mr. Dyab Aboe Jah Jah Allah's chief propagandist for Belgium, a "Pimp of the Prophet".

...The gentleman stood up followed by his posse of pansies in black, who acted as thugs to intimidate the unbelievers. Because I am the epitome of harmony, I called out after Dyab, "Allah knows best!" "Allah knows best!"

... his bodyguards announced, "We'll finish that pig off", and, "We're not taking it any longer from that pig", which I suspect was in reference to me.

...The pig is a sweet and intelligent animal and is a lot smarter then the idiots with which Aboe Jah Jah surrounds himself..."

(Dutch article) http://www.theovangogh.nl/indexc.html

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MIM: The same AEL, which is the Islamist equivalent of the Nazi Brown Shirts, recently announced that they will be forming a "Muslim Democratic Party". A journalist from the NRC Handelsblad (the Dutch equivalent of a liberal WSJ) accompanied the AEL leader in Holland , Nabil Marmouch, to the barber for a pre holiday haircut and reported on the current state of the AEL.

http://www.nrc.nl/binnenland/artikel/1100271511518.html

The NRC Handelsblad 11/14/04

Naar the Kapper met Marmouch

Het idee was samen een wandeling te maken door een buurt waar veel jonge moslims wonen. Nabil Marmouch (29) is de voorzitter van AEL-NL, de Nederlandse tak van Dyab Abou Jahjahs militante Arabisch-Europese Liga. Ze zijn bezig een politieke partij op te richten, de Democratische Moslim Partij, waarmee de AEL-NL aan de raadsverkiezingen van 2006 wil meedoen. De vraag was of tumultueuze weken als de laatste de AEL veel steun brengen. De AEL-NL is tegen het ,,ontmenselijken" van moslims. De AEL-NL is ook tegen ,,een holle term als integratie", zoals Marmouch het zelf noemt. Maar hoeveel mensen zich de afgelopen week bij de AEL meldden, zegt Marmouch niet te weten.

To the barber with Marmouch

The idea was to take a walk through the neighborhood where many young Muslims lived –Nabile Marmouch (29) is the head of the AEL NL the Dutch branch of Dyab Abou JahJah's militant Arab European League. They are busy trying to start a political party ,The Democratic Muslim Party in which the AEL Holland will participate in the Dutch elections.The question was if the last tumultuous weeks have brought them more support. The AEL NL is against the "dehumanization" of Muslims and "the hollow term of integration. "But Marmouch has no idea how many people have joined the AEL these last weeks...