Dutch Filmmaker Murdered

[Dr Dave]

Controversial Dutch filmmaker shot dead on Amsterdam street

51 minutes ago

AMSTERDAM (AFP) - Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, who had received threats over a controversial film he made about Islam, was shot and stabbed to death while cycling on an Amsterdam street, officials said.

The alleged assailant, identified as having dual Dutch and Moroccan nationality, was arrested and two people were injured in a shootout with police after the attack in broad daylight early Tuesday, police said.

The 47-year-old filmmaker, who was the great great nephew of the late 19th-century artist Vincent van Gogh, caused an uproar this summer among the Dutch Muslim community with his short film "Submission" about Islam and women.

The film featured four women in see-through robes showing their breasts with texts from the Koran daubed on their bodies and talking about the abuse they had suffered.

After the film was shown on Dutch television in August, Van Gogh received death threats and police stepped up measures to protect him, much against his will.

Dutch chief prosecutor Leo de Wit said the suspect arrested at the scene was a 26-year-old Amsterdam man with dual Dutch and Moroccan nationality. No further details were given and the police would say nothing about a possible motive.

Some 20,000 people gathered in Amsterdam later Tuesday to pay homage to Van Gogh.

Instead of holding a silent wake protesters on Amsterdam's central Dam Square banged pots and pans and blowing horns and whistles. The friends and family of Van Gogh had asked for people to make as much noise as possible in support of the freedom of speech.

"The freedom of speech is a foundation of our society and that foundation was tampered with today," Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen said, after the deafening noise had subsided.

"Theo van Gogh picked fights with many people, myself included, but that is a right in this country," he added to cheers from the crowd.

As the nation reeled from another daylight killing following the assassination of outspoken politician Pim Fortuyn in 2002, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende condemned the attack.

He called Van Gogh "a champion of the freedom of speech" and lamented the polarization of Dutch society.

"There is a climate that sees people resorting to violence. That is worrying," Balkenende told a press conference.

"It is absolutely terrible and reminds everybody of what happened to Pim Fortuyn," Dutch Europe Minister Atzo Nicolai told EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

Van Gogh himself had said in an interview with Dutch public radio on Friday that he "could not imagine" that anyone would want to harm him.

"I believe they think 'that's the village idiot why would you shoot him?'," he said. "If it happens, it happens."

The suspected gunman was shot in the leg by police while fleeing the scene. He was being treated in hospital and would be questioned later, the authorities said.

He left a note on the body of the victim, De Wit confirmed, while declining to reveal the contents.

Moroccan organisations in The Netherlands condemned the murder and called for calm. "Escalation is in nobody's best interest," the Moroccan Municipal Assembly in Amsterdam said.

"I abhor his views on Islam and find them hurtful for the Islamic community, but there is no motive that can justify a murder," added Ayhan Tonca of the Dutch organ for contact between Muslims and government.

In The Hague, police arrested some 20 people for inciting hatred and shouting discriminatory and racist chants after the killing.

Many commentators in the Netherlands immediately drew parallels between the murder of Van Gogh and the assassination of Fortuyn on May 6, 2002. Both men had controversial views and took part in heated political debate.

Van Gogh made his film with a controversial liberal politician of Somalian descent, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who is a vocal critic of women's treatment in Islamic culture and who was also under police protection after receiving death threats.

He also directed television series, wrote columns and books, and had just finished a movie about the assassination of Fortuyn.

Environmental activist Volkert van der Graaf shot Fortuyn as he came out of a radio studio. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the murder.

[moneyp]

Some commentary on Van Gogh from a Dutch friend of mine:

"What the article does not mention is that Van Gogh was a strange man. He was a talented filmmaker and an maybe even beter interviewer, but he was mainly known for his outrageous antics and op-ed's. The Dutch newspaper NRC probably described it best when they called him an 'compulsive instigator'. Especially religion was a welcome target. He wrote of a jewish historian that she dreamt of Josef Mengele, christians tried to sue him for constantly referring to Jesus as 'the rotten fish from Nazareth', Allah was 'the prophet's pimp' and moslims were labelled 'the fifth column of goatfuckers'."

Ha ha.

[Monte Smith]

This is fucked up: the NPR report on this murder speculated that the Mohammadan perp might have been motivated by "revenge" for a film that Van Gogh made. They actually referred to it several times as a "revenge killing."

Now excuse me, NPR-dance-on-egg-shells reporters when it comes to Islamic jihad, but I don't think you can take *revenge* for a film. If you could, I would have taken revenge for Armageddon No. What you take revenge for is crimes and as long as we don't live under sharia law, cinema is not a crime.

Given lukewarm attitudes like NPR's, that time may not be long.

Rest in peace, Mr. Van Gogh. Yet another victim of barbarians.

[Uli]

I think one can take revenge for being called a goatfucker. Granted the killing mite be unapropriate, but revenge nevertheless.

[Enforcer]

Originally Posted by Uli

I think one can take revenge for being called a goatfucker.

You have no idea how liberated you've just made me feel, Uli. Be right back...

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

This is fucked up: the NPR report on this murder speculated that the Mohammadan perp might have been motivated by "revenge" for a film that Van Gogh made. They actually referred to it several times as a "revenge killing."

Now excuse me, NPR-dance-on-egg-shells reporters when it comes to Islamic jihad, but I don't think you can take *revenge* for a film. If you could, I would have taken revenge for Armageddon No. What you take revenge for is crimes and as long as we don't live under sharia law, cinema is not a crime.

Given lukewarm attitudes like NPR's, that time may not be long.

Rest in peace, Mr. Van Gogh. Yet another victim of barbarians.

All right. Not revenge as you and I know it. But punishment for an insult to his culture and its practices.

I mean, if Al Jazzeera broadcast a scurrilous piece about you, Monte, wouldn't you want to take "revenge?' I know I would want to take revenge if somebody slandered you. That's part of the deal, you see: You can't be seen wanting revenge. But your supporters can make the wish for revenge and act upon that wish. Because they are not in the government, and nothing they do is your responsibility. Amazing but true.

So tell me about how I will get to live with Jesus forever (I'm far too embarrassed to ever ask about virgins, or any kinda, you know, booty...) if I kill some of your enemies and coincidentally, if inevitably, die with them...What you got, man? You, of all people, should know that religion is the art of getting people to die for you. Somebody in Iraq must be very good at it indeed, or else where would all these suicide bombers come from?

[Monte Smith]

Give me a break. This is the West. We have the freedom to insult religions. And until Rushdie, foreigners didn't get to interfere with that right. But I guess now they do.

Please provide police protection to Houellebecq who said, quite undefendably, yet he was right, that Islam is the stupidest religion.

Stupids.

[Uli]

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

And until Rushdie, foreigners didn't get to interfere with that right. But I guess now they do.

.

From what I've read, the suspect is a dutch citizen.

[Monte Smith]

Originally Posted by Uli

From what I've read, the suspect is a dutch citizen.

Yeah from Morocco. He musta went there for the waters.

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

Give me a break. This is the West. We have the freedom to insult religions. And until Rushdie, foreigners didn't get to interfere with that right. But I guess now they do.

Please provide police protection to Houellebecq who said, quite undefendably, yet he was right, that Islam is the stupidest religion.

Stupids.

Yeah, this is the West. Where we know we're right, so we can declare ourselves prosecutor, judge, and jury.

[Monte Smith]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

Yeah, this is the West. Where we know we're right, so we can declare ourselves prosecutor, judge, and jury.

Well, we can try not to have our film directors killed.

[steve(thelil)]

Our film directors are not the group I'd protect first.

[Monte Smith]

Originally Posted by steve(thelil)

Our film directors are not the group I'd protect first.

No. Obviously the cheerleaders come first, followed by sexy librarians and then maids in fishnets or nurses in miniskirts.