Crackdown on radicals as Dutch mourn film maker
Crackdown on radicals as Dutch mourn film maker
The Telegraph
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard and Joan Clement in Amsterdam
(Filed: 10/11/2004)
The Dutch government declared war on Islamic terrorists yesterday as mourners gathered in Amsterdam for the cremation of the murdered film-maker Theo van Gogh.
Jan Peter Balkenende, the Dutch prime minister, said the brutal killing of van Gogh last week by a Moroccan-Dutch terrorist was a grave assault on freedom of speech and Holland’s tolerant way of life. He promised a relentless crackdown on extremist cells.
The immigration minister, Rita Verdonk, unveiled plans for a law allowing the deportation of Islamic radicals even if they are Dutch citizens.
She said the intention was “to take away their Dutch passports if a person is suspected of planning or being involved in extremism or serious crimes”, adding that Holland would no longer be so “naive” in dealing with its enemies.
