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Assassination of Pim Fortuyn

SOLVED2002Media Park, Hilversum, Netherlands3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
File:Plek moord Pim Fortuyn.jpg
File:Plek moord Pim Fortuyn.jpg — Credit: Dick van Aggelen · Public domain

Pim Fortuyn, a Dutch politician who led the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF), was shot and killed in a car park in the Media Park area of Hilversum, North Holland, on 6 May 2002, nine days before the Dutch general election in which he was a leading candidate. He had just given an interview to Ruud de Wild on the radio station 3FM. Fortuyn had previously expressed fear of being murdered, including after being pied at a book launch and during a television appearance in March 2002.

Volkert van der Graaf, a 32-year-old environmental and animal rights activist from Harderwijk, was arrested near the scene after being pursued by Fortuyn's driver, Hans Smolders, and two bystanders from a nearby building. He was still carrying the handgun used in the shooting when police stopped him at a petrol station. Investigators found that Van der Graaf had planned the attack using information gathered from the internet, including a printed map of the crime scene and Fortuyn's public schedule, and had bought a semi-automatic pistol and ammunition illegally in the days beforehand. On the day of the shooting he waited near Fortuyn's car for about two hours before approaching him, then turned and fired six shots at close range; five struck Fortuyn in the back and head.

At his trial, Van der Graaf pleaded guilty and told the court he had acted to stop Fortuyn from using "the weak parts of society" — including Muslims, whom he said Fortuyn treated as scapegoats — to gain political power. He also said he was "not proud" of what he had done. On 15 April 2003 he was convicted of assassinating Fortuyn and sentenced to eighteen years in prison; the sentence was upheld on appeal. He was released on parole in May 2014 after serving two-thirds of his term, in line with standard Dutch penal procedure, and has since lived in Apeldoorn, Gelderland.

The assassination shocked the Netherlands and was followed by rioting on the Binnenhof that evening. Campaigning was suspended, but the election went ahead as scheduled; because Dutch law did not allow ballots to be altered, Fortuyn remained on the ballot posthumously. The Pim Fortuyn List won 26 of 150 seats in an unprecedented debut, then fell to eight seats the following year and held none after the 2006 election. The coalition government that briefly included the LPF collapsed after three months amid internal conflict. Fortuyn is widely credited with reshaping Dutch political debate on immigration and integration, and prominent right-wing politicians rose in profile in the aftermath of his death. In a 2004 televised and online poll, Fortuyn was initially named the greatest person in Dutch history, though the result was later disputed after it emerged that the historical figure William the Silent had received more votes that were not fully counted before Fortuyn was declared the winner.

Key facts

Victims
Pim Fortuyn
Date
2002
Location
Media Park, Hilversum, Netherlands
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2002-05-06

    Pim Fortuyn was shot in the back and head five times by Volkert van der Graaf in a car park outside a radio studio in the Media Park, Hilversum, shortly after Fortuyn had given an interview to Ruud de Wild on 3FM. Van der Graaf was arrested nearby after being chased by Fortuyn's driver, Hans Smolders, and two bystanders.

  2. 2002

    The Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) won 26 of 150 seats (17%) in the general election held nine days after Fortuyn's death; Dutch law did not allow ballots to be altered, so Fortuyn stood posthumously as a candidate.

  3. 2003-04-15

    Volkert van der Graaf was convicted of assassinating Fortuyn and sentenced to eighteen years in prison after telling the court he acted to stop Fortuyn using "the weak parts of society," including Muslims, to gain political power.

  4. 2003

    In elections the year after the assassination, the Pim Fortuyn List's seat count fell from 26 to eight.

  5. 2004

    In a televised and online poll, Fortuyn was named 'De Grootste Nederlander' (Greatest Dutchman of All Time); the result was later disputed after it emerged that William the Silent had received more votes that were not fully counted before Fortuyn was declared the winner.

  6. 2006

    After the 2006 general election, the Pim Fortuyn List held no seats in the House of Representatives.

  7. 2014-05

    Van der Graaf was released on parole after serving two-thirds of his eighteen-year sentence, the standard procedure under the Dutch penal system.

Best coverage

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People

  • Volkert van der Graaf

    CONVICTED

    Environmental and animal rights activist from Harderwijk; convicted on 15 April 2003 of assassinating Fortuyn and sentenced to eighteen years in prison, upheld on appeal; released on parole in May 2014 after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

  • Pim Fortuyn

    VICTIM

    Dutch politician and leader of the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF); shot and killed at age 54 in a car park in Hilversum on 6 May 2002.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • File:Plek moord Pim Fortuyn.jpg

    portrait victim

    File:Plek moord Pim Fortuyn.jpg

    Credit: Dick van Aggelen · Public domain · Source

Places

Media Park, Hilversum, Netherlands

52.2349, 5.1724

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn, leader of the Pim Fortuyn List, was shot and killed in a car park in Hilversum on 6 May 2002, nine days before the general election. Volkert van der Graaf, an environmental and animal rights activist, was convicted of the assassination in April 2003 and sentenced to eighteen years in prison.
Where did the crime happen?
Media Park, Hilversum, Netherlands.
Who was convicted?
Volkert van der Graaf (Environmental and animal rights activist from Harderwijk; convicted on 15 April 2003 of assassinating Fortuyn and sentenced to eighteen years in prison, upheld on appeal; released on parole in May 2014 after serving two-thirds of his sentence.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Netherlands

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICAssassination of Pim FortuynWikipedia · 2026-07-12
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The New York TimesThe New York Times · 2026-07-12
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The GuardianThe Guardian · 2026-07-12

Record history

First published
JUL 13, 2026