RAVINGS:

Fortuyn killer 'acted for Muslims' (CNN, 3/27/03)

The man accused of assassinating Dutch anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn has told judges he acted on behalf of the country's Muslims.

Volkert Van der Graaf, 33, said during his first court appearance in Amsterdam on Thursday that Fortuyn was using "the weakest parts of society to score points" and gain political power.

Van der Graaf, who is charged with premeditated murder, pleaded guilty to illegally possessing firearms and sending Fortuyn threats before carrying out the attack, the Associated Press reports.

Although he allegedly confessed to the killing, under Dutch law prosecutors must present their case to a panel of judges. There are no jury trials in the Netherlands.

"(The idea) was never concrete until the last moment, the day before the attack," the news agency reported Van der Graaf as saying.

"I saw it as a danger, but what should you do about it?" he said. "I hoped that I could solve it myself."

Given the evil totality of Mr. Fortuyn's views, his violent death was almost inevitable, and not clearly tragic, while Mr. Van der Graaf seems too unstable for us to accept anything he says as having much meaning. All these statements can do is foment more hatred of Dutch Muslims. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 27, 2003 5:24 PM