The Netherlands marks Theo van Gogh murder

The Netherlands is marking the tenth anniversary today of the assassination of documentary maker Theo van Gogh.

Van Gogh was on his bicycle on his way to the office when he was shot and killed by radicalized Muslim Mohammed Bouyeri on Linnaeusstraat in Amsterdam. Bouyeri was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was the only suspect tried and convicted in this case.

The anniversary of Van Gogh’s death today will be marked with tributes. At 2.00pm a minute's silence will be observed at Linnaeusstraat in Amsterdam where Van Gogh was killed. In Oosterpark the Willehalm Foundation organizes a commemoration at the Theo van Gogh monument De Schreeuw (The Scream. Robert Jan Kelder, the director of the Foundation Willehalm Instituut will hold a lecture entitled ‘Why Theo van Gogh was sacrificed.” The commemoration is an initiative of several organisations, among which the Friends of Pim Fortuyn foundation.

Tonight TV Station RTL4 is broadcasting an interview with Lieuwe van Gogh, Theo’s son, about how his father’s murder affected him. NPO 2 is showing the political thriller “2/11 The Game of the Wolf” which chronicles the period after Van Gogh’s murder. The screenplay for this movie was written by Van Gogh’s friends Theodor Holman and Gijs van de Westelaken.