An Unclear Motive
May 9, 2002
There is still very little known about the 32-year-old man arrested shortly after the controversial Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn was shot dead in a parking lot on Monday.
Police said the suspect, Volkert van der Graaf, is from the conservative "Bible-belt" central Dutch town of Harderwijk.
What motive van der Graaf, who officials said had just become a father, would have for killing the popular politician are still unclear. Van der Graaf himself has made no statement to police.
Investigators have found bullets matching those which killed Fortuyn in van der Graaf's home. They also discovered evidence to suggest he was part of the environmental movement.
Dutch media reported the he was a vegan animal rights activist for a little-known animal welfare group. Reports speculate he was possibly angered by Fortuyn's calls to lift a ban on fur farming.
To some "restrained" to others a "real fundamentalist"
In the past, van der Graaf had used legal challenges to battle the expansion of factory farming and fur farms. Pig farmer Wien van den Brink, who came up against him many times in court, told the Algemeen Dagblad daily: "I thought he was a real fundamentalist. I wanted nothing to do with him. He was as closed as a box and convinced he was right."The paper quoted legal adviser Roger Vleugels as saying van der Graaf was a "calm, restrained and committed" person. "If he was mad, it was at the government because it didn't uphold environmental laws well," Vleugels said.
He added that he had spoken to some of the suspect’s colleagues and that they were all surprised by the act. "No one noticed anything about him."
Harderwijk mayor Johan de Groot said the murder had come as a "total surprise" to van der Graaf's wife. She and their baby have temporarily left their house on the town council's advice following the shooting.
The charismatic Fortuyn (photo) was well-known for his anti-immigration stance, but had no particular views on agriculture that might have drawn the suspect's attention. "We don't have a very developed policy on animal rights," said Joost Eerdmans, a candidate for Fortuyn's party.
Silent marches
European politicians, still shaken by the strong showing of far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen in France's presidential election, condemned the shooting, saying violence should never replace the ballot box.
"This act is to be fully condemned," said Germany’s Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. "Violence cannot have a chance in political confrontation, no matter how tough a campaign is."
Candidates from the ruling coalition parties in the Netherlands had dubbed Fortuyn as a Dutch Le Pen. But all joined in the outpouring of sympathy and shock that followed his death.
Even groups representing Muslim and immigrant communities said they had also laid flowers outside Fortuyn's villa in Rotterdam to express their horror at his killing.
"All unanimously condemn the murder. It's horrible. It's awful," said the Forum Institute for Multicultural Development, which was organizing a wreath-laying ceremony in multi-ethnic Rotterdam.
Rotterdam Mayor Ivo Opstelten led an estimated 15,000 people in a silent march through the port city on Tuesday evening, as Fortuyn supporters and opponents gathered to wave banners and Dutch flags.