NETHERLANDS-
FORTUJN'S LAST DAYS Sep 2002 DUR 6'20" PARAMEDICS TREATING PIM FORTUJN, PEOPLE MOURNING AND CRYING PIM FORUJN GIVING INTERVIEWS CLIPS OF PIM FORTUJN ROTTERDAM STREET SCENES PIM FORTUJN PRESS CONFERENCE MUSLIMS PRAYING IN MOSQUE CLIPS OF PIM FORTUJN PEOPLE MOURNING PIM FORTUJN’S DEATH |
This is not the story I'd come to Holland for, but
here he was, dying in a radio station carpark. Pim Fortujn, admired and hated, a man who provoked reaction
now a victim of extremes. Just last Friday I went to his powerbase In
Rotterdam to interview a man who was, prophetically, aware of the dangers his
views might provoke. SYNC PIM FORTUJN: Until today, the worst he suffered was a urine
soaked cake. His fame came seemingly from nowhere, with no political
experience he led a party that demolished the establishment in the Rotterdam
city elections just In March. Social Democrat Els Koeper lost her job as deputy mayor and her political
faith. SYNC ELS KOEPER: Pim Fortujn's message was as
simple as It was for many offensive, there are too many Immigrants, and
they’re responsible for the crime, close the borders, Holland Is full. SYNC ARI VAN VANE: Rotterdam butcher Ari Van Vane loves the way Pim Fortujn talks, at last
someone was saying what people like him actually thought. Too many immigrants
causing too much crime. SYNC ARI VAN VANE: Ironically, most of his customers are immigrants.
Outside there was real fear about what the Fortujn
phenomenon might mean. SYNC KAREN VAN NANNAN: Karen Van Nannan came from
Jamaica six years ago, she Is worried the openly gay Fortujn
would destroy Holland's image as a tolerant and open society. SYNC KAREN VAN NANNAN: But just how far is this charismatic sociologist
willing to go to stop immigration? They needed no help when it came to ideas
about Islam, according to Pim Fortujn
it's a medieval, backward religion. SYNC PIM FORTUJN:
SYNC INTERVIEWER: SYNC PIM FORTUJN: SYNC INTERVIEWER: SYNC PIM FORTUJN: With views like that, there was never any problem
getting attention, with polls predicting his party would win between fifteen
and twenty percent of the vote, a coalition government was a strong
possibility and more. SYNC INTERVIEWER: SYNC PIM FORTUJN: Sadly he will be remembered not as the nation's
leader but the victim of Holland's first political assassination of modern
times. This was the last time I saw him alive, obviously anxious to get away,
but his extreme views had marked him, three days later the
would be prime minister was dead. Pim was the party, so what next? In life he stirred
division and emotion, his brutal end may also mark the death of an innocence
and tolerance for which Dutch society is, or was, famous.
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