arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Dutch radical left movement under attack

Since the Dutch populist politician Pim Fortuyn got shot on the 6th of May, the Dutch radical left movement is under heavy attack of right wingers, media and main stream politicians.

Dutch radical left movement under heavy attack
Since the Dutch populist politician Pim Fortuyn got shot on the 6th of May, the Dutch radical left movement is under heavy attack of right wingers, media and main stream politicians. The suspect - who didn´t make a statement yet - is a 32 year old environmental activist, specialist in legal procedures against intensive farming. The police have stated that the suspected murderer of Pim Fortuyn possibly had a political motive. It´s currently being investigated if the man is also involved in the unsolved killing of a environmental officer a couple of years ago.

Sunday the minister of Justice, and a few days earlier the lawyer of Pim Fortuyn, have stated that the suspect might have ties with the those who threw pies in the face of Fortuyn a couple of months ago.

The spokesperson of the party of Fortuyn - who are expected to get between 20-30 % of the vote in the national elections coming Wednesday - stated on the night of the murder that ´ the left was responsible for creating an atmosphere in which people could get the idea that killing mister Fortuyn isn´t such a bad idea.

These insinuations and accusations have led to an enormous attack on the left in general but especially the radical left. Tens of thousands of people have walked in demonstrations and silent marches often shouting anti-left slogans. Neo nazi´s have been joining these demonstrations and they are calling to physically attack radical left social centres, people, organisations and squatted houses.
The first of these under physical attack is the anarchist collective Eurodusnie, which had to endure an attack on two of their social centres. Friday the 10th of May a group of people shouted anti-left slogans, smashed windows and entered one of the centres destroying goods. Luckily no one got injured.

The attack has likely been sparked by reports in the media (wrongly) linking Eurodusnie to the Fortuyn pie incident - although Eurodusnie before the murder also frequently had to endure attacks and (death-) threats form the extreme right. If this isn´t enough already, the minister of justice issued a statement that he identified the pie throwers and the ministry would investigate possible connections with the murderer of Fortuyn.

Since Eurodusnie is also famous for it´s pie throwing (the last action of this sort was in 1999) the ´collective under siege´ fears it will be the next one in the web of ´ those held responsible´. Overseeing what has happened, it is very clear what the right wing, the media and main political parties are up to: the are looking for a scapegoat and chose the Dutch social movement while, of course, in reality only one person is responsible for the murder of Pim Fortuyn and that is the one who pulled the trigger. Since the suspect has not made any statement what so ever we still have to guess what his motive was.

Read the statement of the Eurodusnie collective, brought out before the attack on it´s social centres (sorry about the poor translation):

Statement of the Eurodusnie collective 8th of May 2002
After the murder of Pim Fortuyn journalists have been bothering the collective for a comment. Here it is.

1. We see no reason what so ever to distance ourselves from the murder of Pim Fortuyn. We are in no way, directly or indirectly responsible or guilty of creating an atmosphere that could bring people to the act of murdering Pim Fortuyn. Eurodusnie strives, using various means, for a world without borders in which solidarity and direct democracy are important values. Political murder is certainly not one of these means.

2. We oppose a popular theory that states the left and activist groups are responsible for creating an atmosphere of hate, demonising mister Fortuyn, in which murder is an acceptable thing to do. Suddenly throwing pies is being presented as an act of hatred which has led to the fatal gunshots. In the current climate of hysteria many people have clearly lost any sense of perspective. Those who suggest any connection between the throwing of a pie and the killing of mister Fortuyn need to get their heads checked.

3. We are surprised about the mildness and sympathy most politicians and massmedia showed after Fortuyn´s tragic death, when talking about his political ideas. His ideas about, amongst others, migration, healthcare, social security and the Islamic culture remain as disgusting as before his death. These ideas continue to thrive in his political party and also within some other mainstream parties. Therefore resistance against right wing and racist ideas remains as necessary as ever.

4. We see that the murder of Fortuyn has only increased the growing right wing and blatantly populist sentiments. This is yet another reason why we have no sympathy what so ever for the murderer of Fortuyn. Pim Fortuyn is now being presented by many as a political saint which is completely unjust. He was in fact a right winged populist who - indeed with ´great clarity and openness´ - spoke out for intolerance concerning refugees and especially the Islam. Although we find the way he came to his end tragic, our disgust of his political ideas remains unchanged.

5. We speak out our solidarity with the organisation ´ Milieu Offensief´ that has been criminalised unjustly, because one of their employees is the suspect of Fotuyn´s murder. It makes no sense to blame the entire organisation, let alone an entire social movement, for the act of one person whose motives are not even known.
Anarchist collective Eurodusnie, 8th of May 2002