Dutch director murdered

Filmmaker Theo van Gogh, who recently completed a film about violence against Islamic women, has been stabbed and shot dead in Amsterdam.

Nov  3 2004

Controversial filmmaker Theo van Gogh has been killed while cycling near Amsterdam's Oosterpark. A suspect was arrested following an exchange of gunfire near the scene of the crime. Police said the man, who was aged 26, had joint Dutch and Moroccan nationality and an eyewitness told Radio Netherlands that he was dressed in a traditional Moroccan jallaba.

The director’s credits include 'Baby Blue' and 'Interview' and he recently completed  'Visions of Europe', a film in which 25 film-makers from the 25 member states of the European Union made five-minute shorts about life in their country. Van Gogh's entry was entitled 'Euroquiz' and the project was recently screened at the London Film Festival.

He caused controversy earlier in the year when his short film 'Submission' was shown on Dutch television. Dealing with violence against women in Islamic societies, it revolved around a Muslim woman forced into an arranged marriage in which she was abused by her husband and raped by her uncle. The film caused outrage amongst Dutch Muslims when it hit TV screens.

Van Gogh, who was 47, made the movie together with liberal politician and Somali refugee Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and the pair of them had both received death threats following the film's screening. The threat was thought to be so great that Ali has been under police protection since the film was aired.

The director, a direct descendant of the brother of famous Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, had courted controversy throughout his career, and his recently completed film '06/05' was a fictional account of the events that lead to the assassination of extreme right-wing politician Pim Fortuyn in May 2002.

Speaking of van Gogh's murder, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said: 'It is unacceptable if expressing your opinion would be the cause of this brutal murder.' 

He added: 'On a day like this we are reminded of the murder of Fortuyn. We cannot resign ourselves to such a climate.'

 

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