As a shocked Dutch public confronts the death of Theo van Gogh, thoughts have turned to the impact the filmmaker's brutal assassination will have on society in the Netherlands. Aaron Gray-Block reports.
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Shock reverberated across the Netherlands as loud as the shots that ended the life of controversial Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh on Tuesday morning.
And the news that many feared came shortly after 1pm when it was revealed during a press conference that a 26-year-old Amsterdam man with both the Dutch and Moroccan nationalities had been arrested on suspicion of the murder.
The news comes after the Netherlands has confronted strong social polarisation between the native Dutch and the Islamic immigrant communities in recent years. Van Gogh's death — allegedly at the hands of a Muslim — could be the spark to ignite a powder keg of unrest.
Conscious of this, Amsterdam chief public prosecutor Leo de Wit could not — or would not — confirm a motive for the killing on Tuesday. Nor did he reveal what was written on a note — reportedly written in Arabic — left on Van Gogh's body.
The Dutch authorities also said there had been no definite indications prior to Van Gogh's death that the Dutch filmmaker, TV presenter and outspoken columnist was at risk of attack.
Yet Van Gogh, 47, was initially placed under police protection after his 10-minute film "Submission" was broadcast on Dutch public television on 29 August.
Written by outspoken MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the film criticised the Koran for sanctioning domestic violence in Islamic communities. The film featured women in see through Islamic robes — revealing their breasts.
The women described physical abuse committed among the Islamic community and anti-women texts from the Koran could be seen on their bodies.
The film caused outrage in the Netherlands. Van Gogh was placed under police protection and Hirsi Ali was moved to a safe house following new death threats placed on the internet.
Authorities later announced at a press conference on Tuesday that Van Gogh had not been considered in need of personal security prior to his death. The Interior Ministry had said the same after the shooting death of anti-Islamic politician Pim Fortuyn in May 2002.
It had been initially suspected that Fortuyn's killer was a Muslim, but it emerged later that a Dutch animal rights activist, Volkert van der Graaf, had shot the populist LPF leader to defend vulnerable groups in society. He was sentenced on appeal to 18 years jail in July 2003.
Impact on society
Amsterdam University professor Meindert Fennema said Van Gogh's death will now impact Dutch society in the same manner that Fortuyn's assassination did some three and a half years ago.
He said Van Gogh and Hirsi Ali had become targets of Islamic fundamentalism. But the Somali-born MP had been placed under security. She was also taken to a secure location by her protection officers on Tuesday. Van Gogh had in the past refused security.
A political science professor with the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies at Amsterdam University, Fennema also said the killing of Fortuyn had been "depoliticised" by the political elite.
Fortuyn's death was therefore not considered a political assassination, even though it clearly was. Fennema said "the elite tried to downplay the killer as a lunatic", but Van Gogh's murder will not be treated like this.
"It will strengthen the political voice to repress Islamic fundamentalism and to further eliminate the whole idea of multiculturalism," he said. "It is very sad news for the whole of the community, especially for the Muslim parts of it".
So what can be done?
Fennema said it is important that the suspects are caught and that the legal process is free of any procedural errors. Otherwise, this could lead to public concern that politicians are not moving hard enough against Islamic fundamentalism.
He also said anti-Islamic parts of the community might see society as being more corrupted. Fennema said the authorities must "act swiftly and accurately".
Focusing on the impact to Dutch society, Fennema said greater discussion was needed about how to treat Islamic fundamentalism and Islam as a religion. He also said Van Gogh's assassination could lead to a stronger crackdown on integration and more stringent policies to curb immigration.
An actress reveals the naked truth of domestic violence in 'Submission'
Fennema predicted a stronger crackdown on youth gangs who have been "terrorising" the centre of Amsterdam.
He said this could lead to opinions that the rule of law should not be strictly observed when dealing with Islamic youth. Judicial tenets — such as people should not be jailed without due process — could be strained.
Subsequently, two forms of justice could develop, similar to that applied by the US in the detention of terrorist suspects in Guantanamo Bay, Fennema said.
It is noteworthy that various police officials have been roundly criticised in the past for suggesting the implementation of differing punishment methods for immigrants, but such calls are never far from the public debate.
'Violence will not prevail'
Lamenting the death of Van Gogh, whom he described as a person with outspoken viewpoints and a "champion of the free word", Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende spoke about a "hardening of society".
"There is a climate in which people resort to violence. This is alarming," he said.
Balkenende expressed his horror at the murder, but also urged the public to refrain from jumping to immediate, drastic conclusions.
"It is with great horror I learned of the shooting of Theo van Gogh. Our thoughts and sympathy are with his family, friends and colleagues," he said on the government website regering.nl.
The prime minister added further that violent acts "would never have the last word in the Netherlands".
He said the Netherlands is a country in which people can freely express their opinion. "That is snot just a rule. That is a cornerstone of our Constitutional State and our democracy," the Christian Democrat CDA leader said.
"This vision joins us together, over every possible dividing line. The constitutional freedom of expression is crucial for everyone and always."
Balkenende, Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner and Interior Minister Johan Remkes brought forward a meeting of the National Security Council on Tuesday in response to Van Gogh's death.
The Cabinet was expected later in the day to send a letter to the Lower House of Parliament, Tweede Kamer, about the murder. Remkes said no extra security measures are considered necessary for Liberal VVD MP Hirsi Ali.
Amsterdam residents were also urged to gather for a pro-freedom of expression rally on Dam Square on Tuesday night. City Mayor Job Cohen Cohen said nobody had the right to stifle another person's opinions and the people of Amsterdam would make this point "loud and clear" at 7.30pm.
Normally tragic events are marked by "silent marches" in the Netherlands, but Cohen said this would not be the case on Tuesday as "that would conflict with Van Gogh's character".
Tuesday 2 November 2004 will be a day that Amsterdam and the Netherlands as a whole will not forget in a hurry. (Source: Expatica Website)
