No enemies to the left. (Insider Report).(right wing Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn assassinated)(Brief Article)

In early May, a left-wing radical assassinated Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn, typically called a "right-wing populist" in most media coverage. This label was a poor fit for Fortuyn, an unabashed homosexual who supported drug use and Holland's euthanasia laws. However, he and his "Livable Netherlands" party -- which won 26 seats in Holland's 150-member parliament following his assassination -- sinned against political correctness by urging a clampdown on immigration, particularly from Muslim countries. His specific concern was to preserve conditions congenial to sexual emancipation, which could not exist if Holland imported an Islamic culture.

Fortuyn was murdered shortly after French right-wing politician Jean-Marie Le Pen surprisingly defeated French Socialist Premier Lionel Jospin in the first round of that nation's presidential elections. Le Pen's victory, coupled with Fortuyn's ascent, led to an outpouring of anguished commentary about the dangerous rise of a new "radical right" in Europe. Some pundits associated this political surge with outbreaks of anti-Semitic violence across the continent, nearly all of which was carried out by Islamic immigrants. The message behind the media spin was clear: Europe was menaced by "neo-Fascism," which must be stopped. Fortuyn's alleged assassin apparently took that message to heart.

Fortuyn's murder, opined London Times columnist Michael Grove, offered "a bleak snapshot of dark dramas to come" as various forms of "extremism" collide in Europe. But Grove didn't condemn Europe's opinion cartel for creating a climate in which political assassination could occur -- no, such accusations are reserved exclusively for "right-wing" talk radio hosts. The blame for all political violence, insisted Grove, resides with the "fundamentalist" right, whether populist/libertarian or Islamic.

New York ...