The assassination of Pim Fortuyn

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 9 November 2022

⏱️ 9 minutes

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Summary

It has been 20 years since one of the most controversial politicians in Europe was assassinated just days before a general election. On 6 May 2002, Pim Fortuyn was shot dead by an animal rights activist because of his anti-Islamic views. It was the first time a Dutch politician had been murdered since the 17th century. TV journalist Dave Abspoel was one of the first people on the scene. He has been sharing his memories with Matt Pintus. (Photo: Pim Fortuyn pictured in 2002. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to this episode of the Witness History Podcast from the BBC World
0:10.4	Service with me, Matt Pintas. It's been 20 years since one of the most controversial
0:16.6	politicians in modern Europe was assassinated in the Netherlands just days before a general
0:22.0	election. He was openly gay, described Islam as backwards and wanted to legalize discrimination
0:30.6	This is the story of Pimp Fortine. It's Monday the 6th of May 2002 in the Dutch city of
0:38.7	Hilverson. General election hysteria is in full flow. There are just 9 days to go until people
0:45.2	head to the polls to vote for their next leader. It's a busy time for the country's state broadcaster
0:50.8	NOS. But for TV reporter Dave Absboil, it's the calm before the storm. A rare day off.
0:59.4	I was home alone. Didn't feel like cooking and thought to myself, well I have to do my expenses
1:04.1	account as well. Let me go up to the TV compartment. So I went over there approaching 6 o'clock to
1:10.6	have dinner and do my expenses really. On his way to work, Dave switches on the radio.
1:16.0	He catches the end of an interview with the controversial right-wing politician, Pimp Fortine,
1:21.2	who is at his studio just down the street from Dave's office. As I walked into the newsroom,
1:27.2	the phone started ringing that for time was shot and I immediately connected it with the radio
1:31.9	studios and I ran back to my car, drove for about 30 seconds and walked up to him laying there.
1:39.6	It was a bit eerie really because from a distance I could already see something on the floor
1:45.4	which looked like a big garbage back to me. But when I got closer I could clearly see that it was
1:50.9	him laying there. Dave is one of the first people to reach him after the shooting. He was quite
1:59.0	pale already. I'm no obvious science of breathing, no blood coming from the bullet wounds.
2:07.1	Obviously his heart stopped. It looks to me that he was lifeless at that moment.
2:12.5	Pimp Fortine was dead. It was the first time since the 17th century that a dutch politician
2:19.7	had been murdered. But who had shot him and why? The story of Pimp Fortine is long and complicated
	...

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