Dutch remember filmmaker Theo van Gogh, murdered by a Muslim fanatic 5 years ago

Dutch mark 5th anniversary of filmmaker’s murder

AMSTERDAM — The Dutch are marking the fifth anniversary of the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a Muslim fanatic, a brutal killing that continues to shape politics in the Netherlands.

Van Gogh, a distant relative of the famous painter, was shot and stabbed on an Amsterdam street Nov. 2, 2004, setting off a spate of mosque burnings in a country once renowned for its tolerance.

His killer, a Dutch-born man of Moroccan descent, said he did it because Van Gogh insulted Islam in his films. He is serving a life sentence.

Politicians were to speak Monday at a monument to Van Gogh near where he was killed.

Many Dutch say the Van Gogh murder helped the rise of Geert Wilders, an anti-immigrant politician whose party leads in recent polls.