Dutch Politician Pim Fortuyn Shot Dead

The 54-year-old politician was shot several times in the head in the early evening on Monday. According to reports, Fortuyn had just left a series of interviews at a Hilversum media center when a man approached and fired six shots, hitting him in the head, neck, and chest. Paramedics rushed to the scene but were unable to save the critically wounded man.

His death was officially announced by Prime Minister Wim Kok.

According to press reports, the alleged killer has been captured and taken into custody by police.

Fortuyn had been expected to play a large role in the parliamentary elections scheduled for May 15. In the last few months he had stirred up the ordinarily placid world of Dutch politics. Polls show his "Pim Fortuyn List" enjoying support of at least 15% of the population. His statements, such as "the Netherlands are full", and calling for an end to the admission of asylum seekers had made him a polarizing figure. His spokesman Mat Herben said Fortuyn regularly received death threats.

Meteoric Rise

The openly gay Fortuyn was an unknown just six months ago when he entered the political fray. The former sociology professor and magazine columnist was once a member of the rightist Liveable Netherlands party, but was ousted three months ago for making anti-immigrant comments in a newspaper interview.

Fortuyn then formed his own, self-named party and began gaining popular support. A recent opinion poll showed that one in five Dutch wanted his party to help form the next government. His party was expected to take 26 of parliament’s 150 seats at the upcoming general election.

His flamboyant personality and refusal to modulate his sometimes vitriolic arguments changed the tone of the Dutch election, making it harder. He was not shy of courting controversy. He often seemed to revel in it.

His anti-immigrant platform struck a chord with Dutch voters in this multi-cultural country where, particularly in the cities, numerous ethnic groups live side by side. Some two million of the country’s 16 million inhabitants are immigrants. They receive the lion’s share of the blame by many Dutch for the country’s growing crime rate.

According to him, his support proved people’s frustration with European governments’ inability to tackle the problems of a multi-cultural society.

He rejected comparison’s with France’s Jean Marie Le Pen. "Le Pen is anti-Semitic. I am not. I support Israel," he once said.

Still he was perceived as dangerous and even racist by many. He was not hesitant about slurring Islam.

"I have said that the Islamic culture is backward and that is true," he told reporters. "You can see that if you compare the Islamic world with the modern world.

Th Netherlands counts as one of the most liberal countries of the world. It was the first to legalize gay marriages, has legalized prostitution, practices euthanasia and looks the other way when it comes to drugs.

Still, it seems Fortuyn was able to tap into a latent racism, or at least resentment, in the country. "The Netherlands are full," he said and offered clear answers to complicated problems.

Now Fortuyn has fallen victim to an assassin’s bullets. While he may no longer be here, the issues that he has raised in the Netherlands are certain to stay.