Editing Pim Fortuyn (section)

==Legacy==
[[File:Beeld Pim Fortuyn Rotterdam.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Pim Fortuyn monument in [[Rotterdam]]]]
Fortuyn changed the Dutch political landscape.<ref>See [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1974184.stm BBC impression] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823202724/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1974184.stm |date=23 August 2007 }} for an early evaluation Retrieved July 2007.</ref> The 2002 elections, only weeks after Fortuyn's death, were marked by large losses for the liberal [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy]] and especially the [[social democracy|social democratic]] [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]] (whose parliamentary group was halved in size); both parties replaced their leaders shortly after their losses. The election winners were the [[Pim Fortuyn List]], and the [[Christian democracy|Christian democratic]] [[Christian Democratic Appeal]] (CDA) whose leader [[Jan Peter Balkenende]] went on to become prime minister. Some commentators in the mainstream political class speculated that Fortuyn's perceived martyrdom created greater support for the LPF, hence that party's brief surge to 17% of the electoral vote and 26 of the 150 seats in the Dutch Parliament. Others opined that voters who would have otherwise supported the LPF had Fortuyn not been murdered voted for the CDA as Balkenende had not joined in with other party leaders in attacking Fortuyn. Balkenende later claimed to have shared some of Fortuyn's opinions and pledged to implement some of his policy ideas. Although the LPF was able to form a coalition with the [[Christian Democratic Appeal]] and the [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy]], it was bereft with internal strife and quickly lost steam. The [[coalition government|coalition]] cabinet of [[Jan Peter Balkenende]] fell within three months, due to infighting within the LPF. In the following elections, the LPF was left with only eight seats in parliament (out of 150) and was not included in the new government. Many of the LPF's successive leaders were not regarded as charismatic as Fortuyn and as the next cabinet under Balkenende continued many of the former coalition's policies, it became harder for the LPF to present an alternative image to the government. However, political commentators speculated that discontented voters might vote for a non-traditional party, if a viable alternative was at hand. Later, the right-wing [[Party for Freedom]] led by [[Geert Wilders]], which has a strong stance on immigration and cultural integration, proposing to deport criminal, unemployed or not assimilated non-western immigrants, won nine (out of 150) seats in the 2006 elections and became the largest party in the [[2023 Dutch general election|2023 elections]], reaching 37 seats.

[[File:Grave of Pim Fortuyn.jpg|thumb|The temporary grave of Pim Fortuyn in Driehuis]]

The Netherlands has made its asylum policy more strict. Opponents of [[Fortuynism]], such as [[Paul Rosenmöller]], [[Thom de Graaf]], and [[Ad Melkert]] (all labelling Fortuyn as a right-wing extremist),<ref name="documentary">[Documentary] "A Democracy in Shock" (2002). RTL Nieuws.</ref> have objected to what they think is a harsher political and social climate, especially towards immigrants and Muslims.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2680881.stm|last=Coughlan|first=Geraldine|title=Fortuyn ghost stalks Dutch politics|work=[[BBC News]]|date=21 January 2003|access-date=19 July 2005|archive-date=26 May 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060526022641/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2680881.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

However, other commentators such as [[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]], [[David Starkey]] and [[Douglas Murray (author)|Douglas Murray]] have retrospectively defended some of Fortuyn's beliefs.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hirsi Ali |first=Ayaan |author-link=Ayaan Hirsi Ali |date=2006 |title=Infidel: My Life}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/1393583/Is-there-a-Prof-Pim-in-Britain.html|title=Is there a Prof Pim in Britain?|work=The Telegraph|date=8 May 2002 |access-date=8 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Murray |first=Douglas |author-link=Douglas Murray (author) |date=2017 |title=The Strange Death of Europe}}</ref> Former Dutch Prime Minister [[Jan Peter Balkenende]] also stated that he later agreed with some of Fortuyn's criticisms of multiculturalism and the purple coalition under [[Wim Kok]].<ref name=rvh46>{{harvnb|Rydgren|van Holsteyn|2005|p=46}}</ref><ref name=sheg>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QJ6x8zmRAaEC&pg=PA166|first1=Steven|last1=Van Hecke|first2=Emmanuel|last2=Gerard|title=Christian democratic parties in Europe since the end of the Cold War|year=2004|publisher=Leuven University Press|isbn=978-90-5867-377-0|page=166|access-date=10 February 2020|archive-date=19 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819202025/https://books.google.com/books?id=QJ6x8zmRAaEC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA166|url-status=live}}</ref>

Contemporary Dutch politics is more polarized than it has been in recent years, especially on the issues for which Fortuyn was best known. People debate the success of their [[multiculturalism|multicultural society]], and whether they need to better [[Assimilation (sociology)|assimilate]] newcomers. The government's decision in 2004 to more strictly expel asylum seekers whose applications had failed was controversial. Fortuyn had advocated for a one-time amnesty for those asylum seekers who had resided in the Netherlands for an extended period.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3494627.stm|title=Dutch MPs approve asylum exodus|work=BBC News|date=17 February 2004|access-date=26 July 2005|archive-date=21 November 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051121163053/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3494627.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2004, in a TV show, Fortuyn was chosen as [[De Grootste Nederlander]] ("Greatest Dutchman of all-time"), followed closely by [[William the Silent|William of Orange]], the leader of the independence war that established the precursor to the present-day Netherlands.<ref>{{cite news|language=nl|url=http://www.planet.nl/planet/show/id=106882/contentid=525037/sc=5ce917|title=Greatest Dutchman|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050310014512/http://www.planet.nl/planet/show/id%3D106882/contentid%3D525037/sc%3D5ce917|archive-date=10 March 2005}}</ref> The election was not considered representative, as it was held by viewers' voting through the internet and by phoning in. [[Theo van Gogh (film director)|Theo van Gogh]] had been murdered a few days before by a Muslim, which likely affected people's voting in the TV contest for Fortuyn. The program later revealed that William of Orange had received the most votes, but many could not be counted until after the official closing time of the television show (and the proclamation of the winner), due to technical problems. The official rules of the show said that votes counted before the end of the show would be decisive, but it was suggested that all votes correctly cast before the closing of the vote would be counted. Following the official rules, the outcome was not changed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nu.nl/algemeen/443284/pim-fortuyn-toch-niet-de-grootste-nederlander.html|title=nu.nl/algemeen &#124; 'Pim Fortuyn toch niet de Grootste Nederlander'|date=16 November 2004|publisher=Nu.nl|access-date=13 June 2010|archive-date=10 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610210756/http://www.nu.nl/algemeen/443284/pim-fortuyn-toch-niet-de-grootste-nederlander.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Plek moord Pim Fortuyn.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Car park in [[Hilversum]] where Fortuyn was assassinated]]
[[File:Monument Pim Fortuyn.jpg|thumb|Plaque at the location of his murder]]

[[Right-wing politics|Right-wing politicians]] gained greater public influence after Fortuyn's death, such as former [[Ministry of Justice (Netherlands)|Minister for Integration & Immigration]] [[Rita Verdonk]], the prominent [[Criticism of Islam|critic of Islam]], [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|Member of the House of Representatives]] [[Geert Wilders]] who in 2006 formed the [[Party for Freedom]] (which became the largest party in the House of Representatives in [[2023 Dutch general election|2023]]). These politicians often focus on the debate over [[cultural assimilation]] and [[Integration law for new immigrants to the Netherlands|integration]].

[[File:Pim Fortuynzaal 2e kamer.jpg|thumb|Meeting room named after Fortuyn in the House of Representatives]]
Between 2003 and 2004, Fortuyn's family donated the condolence letters, cards, objects and register books that were placed at various locations associated with Fortuyn such as his home, Rotterdam city hall, the [[Homomonument]] in Amsterdam, [[Media Park (Hilversum)|Media Park]] in Hilversum and the House of Representatives to the [[Meertens Institute]]. They are currently housed in the Institute's archive and can be consulted for research.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jan Margry |first=Peter |date=2011 |title='Memorializing a Controversial Politician. The 'Heritagization' of a Materialized Vox Populi', in: Grassroots Memorials. The Politics of memorializing Traumatic Death}}</ref>

Supporters of Fortuyn went on to set up the annual ''[[Pim Fortuyn Prize]]'' which is awarded to opinion makers, politicians or commentators who best convey the ideas of Pim Fortuyn. Winners have included [[Ebru Umar]], [[John van den Heuvel]] and Belgian Prime Minister [[Bart De Wever]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/ebru-umar-krijgt-de-pim-fortuyn-prijs~b853b348/|title=Ebru Umar receives the Pim Fortuyn Prize|date=6 May 2017|publisher=de Volkskrant|access-date=8 February 2020|archive-date=6 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806160815/https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/ebru-umar-krijgt-de-pim-fortuyn-prijs~b853b348/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2012, exactly ten years after Fortuyn's murder, a section of the Korte Hoogstraat (city centre) of Rotterdam was renamed ''Pim Fortuynplaats.'' Around a thousand people attended the ceremony.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nos.nl/artikel/370299-rotterdam-heeft-pim-fortuynplaats |title=Rotterdam heeft Pim Fortuynplaats |access-date=2025-04-20}}</ref> 

In 2023, a meeting room was named after Fortuyn in the temporary House of Representatives which contains a memorial window.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.staten-generaal.nl/begrip/statenpassage_en_logement |title=Statenpassage en Logement |access-date=2025-04-20}}</ref>

To mark the 22nd anniversary of his death in May 2024, a [[crowdfunding campaign]] was started with the approval of Fortuyn's family with the aim of having a number of Fortuyn's books narrated with an AI -generated voice of Fortuyn.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.spreekbuis.nl/pim-fortuyn-komt-tot-leven-dankzij-ai/ |title=Pim Fortuyn komt tot leven dankzij AI |access-date=2025-04-20}}</ref>