I’ve learned about Pim Fortuyn recently. It would appear that he was pretty controversial back in his day, though obviously much more so in the Netherlands than internationally. His tragic end sent shock waves throughout Europe. Some have described him as one of the first right-wing populists, though Fortuyn himself rejected that label when he was alive. Either way, he might have been one of the first politicians to propose using traditionally right-wing politics (strict border control/crackdown on illegal immigration, less bureaucracy, small government) with the aim of preserving the country’s fairly liberal and progressive values (mainly LGBT rights and women’s rights), feeling that they were threatened by the high influx of Muslim immigrants. Despite the controversy that his views arose, he and his party, Pim Fortuyn List, did very well in polls, quickly becoming the largest party in Rotterdam during the Dutch municipal elections of 2002.
Now, I’ve been trying to find more information about Fortuyn’s politics, program, and the public consensus on him then and now, but most of the more detailed sources are in Dutch. So, I just wanted to ask, for Dutch people (or just Europeans, to broaden the scope a bit) who were there during his 2002 campaign, what was your opinion on Pim Fortuyn and his politics? Has your stance changed over time? And how would you say his campaign influenced Dutch politics and society? Thank you in advance.