Gunman kills controversial Dutch film director

[shamrock_uk]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3974179.stm

Gunman kills Dutch film director Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh, who made a controversial film about Islamic culture recently, has been shot dead in Amsterdam, Dutch media report. Police said they had arrested a man at the scene after an exchange of gunfire. Van Gogh, 47, had received death threats after his film Submission, on violence against women in Islamic societies, was shown on Dutch TV. The film was made with liberal Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali refugee who fled an arranged marriage. Ayaan Hirsi Ali has been under police protection since the film was aired. She has also received death threats and has renounced the Islamic faith. Van Gogh's production company told the Dutch news agency ANP that he had been shot dead. Police did not identify the victim. Both the suspect and a policeman suffered bullet wounds and are now in hospital. Van Gogh - who was related to the famous Dutch painter - had also been making a film about Pim Fortuyn, the populist right-wing, anti-immigration politician assassinated in May 2002. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/h...pe/3974179.stm Published: 2004/11/02 10:05:09 GMT © BBC MMIV

[johnny]

Here we go again.

[shamrock_uk]

Indeed

This is somewhat related to the whole 'Islamic Integration' issue:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2290425.stm

Some ideas there could certainly be applied to countries like Britain with relatively large Islamic populations. Whether it's a good idea of course is a different matter! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[johnny]

Of course it's good to discuss it. If what they say is true, van Gogh became a victim of our own tolerance and "freedom of speech". Apparently the killer left a note on his body with Arabic text, it's not clear up until now what it says though. More on this later...

[Melusine]

Van Gogh was controversial indeed. At times I quite liked him but usually I completely disagreed with both his methods and opinions. But this is truly gruesome and I am in shock. How terrible.

[Xen]

I never heard of him, but it's still said when one is killed.

[philip]

Originally posted by Xen: I never heard of him, but it's still said when one is killed.

And the reason is even sadder

[johnny]

Well, nobody knows the reason yet, but i'm assuming it has something to do with "Submission". He received numerous death threats the past few weeks, mostly on Islamic websites. Typical reaction from him was that his only concern was Hirsi Ali, he predicted that she would get shot sometime soon. When asked about his own safety he replied "i'm not worried at all, they usually don't waste bullets on the village idiot". That interview was barely one week ago, how wrong he was.

[Grojlach]

*sigh*
The guy really seemed to have "freedom of speech" and simply being an offensive and uninformed jerk mixed up a lot (if I have to make a comparison, he was a bit like the Dutch Ann Coulter - rude, but ultimately harmless due to being too rude to take seriously), but in any case, that's still no excuse for this gruesome death.
I'm deeply saddened by this act of violence, and I wish friends, family and fans of his all the support and strength needed.

[johnny]

Groj, if i'm to believe what everyone says, he was deliberately being rude to get the most out of a debate. He wasn't just rude towards muslims, he also tackled Jews, catholics, and last but not least politicians.

I guess he liked to shock people with his pen.

[ 11-02-2004, 12:58 PM: Message edited by: johnny ]