Dutch Political Leader. The leader of the Party "Lijst Pim Fortuyn.", he tried to the change the political thinking of the Netherlands, and was known for the punch line "At Your Service". He was shot to death at Mediapark, Hilversum, Netherlands, after having an interview with Ruud de Wild. The 54-year-old gay founder of Leefbaar Nederland (Livable Netherlands) was blunt, outspoken and flamboyant. The former Marxist, sociology lecturer and newspaper columnist drove around in a car with blacked-out windows. Describing Islam as a "backward culture" which would persecute him as a gay, he opposed immigration and was set to have a key role in shaping future government policy. In the May 15 elections, his newly formed Lijst Pim Fortuyn party was eyeing a place in a coalition government.. Pim Fortuyn was part of a new wave of Dutch politicians, but he insisted he was not like Jean-Marie Le Pen and wanted nothing to do with the French far-right leader. His platform seemed out of place in the Netherlands, which has a reputation for liberalism. He argued that the Netherlands was full up with 16 million people. While not advocating deportation, he criticized the country's estimated 800,000 Muslims for not embracing Dutch life and said government benefits should be restricted to Dutch speakers. Though tolerant of such subcultures, he targeted a deep vein of suspicion of immigrants. He said "I'm not anti-Muslim. I'm not anti-immigrant. I'm saying we've got big problems in our cities. It's not very smart to make the problems bigger by letting in millions more immigrants from rural Muslim cultures that don't assimilate. This country is bursting. I think 16 million people is quite enough".
Dutch Political Leader. The leader of the Party "Lijst Pim Fortuyn.", he tried to the change the political thinking of the Netherlands, and was known for the punch line "At Your Service". He was shot to death at Mediapark, Hilversum, Netherlands, after having an interview with Ruud de Wild. The 54-year-old gay founder of Leefbaar Nederland (Livable Netherlands) was blunt, outspoken and flamboyant. The former Marxist, sociology lecturer and newspaper columnist drove around in a car with blacked-out windows. Describing Islam as a "backward culture" which would persecute him as a gay, he opposed immigration and was set to have a key role in shaping future government policy. In the May 15 elections, his newly formed Lijst Pim Fortuyn party was eyeing a place in a coalition government.. Pim Fortuyn was part of a new wave of Dutch politicians, but he insisted he was not like Jean-Marie Le Pen and wanted nothing to do with the French far-right leader. His platform seemed out of place in the Netherlands, which has a reputation for liberalism. He argued that the Netherlands was full up with 16 million people. While not advocating deportation, he criticized the country's estimated 800,000 Muslims for not embracing Dutch life and said government benefits should be restricted to Dutch speakers. Though tolerant of such subcultures, he targeted a deep vein of suspicion of immigrants. He said "I'm not anti-Muslim. I'm not anti-immigrant. I'm saying we've got big problems in our cities. It's not very smart to make the problems bigger by letting in millions more immigrants from rural Muslim cultures that don't assimilate. This country is bursting. I think 16 million people is quite enough".
Bio by: RdS
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