ABSTRACT
Anger and resentment were epitomised in various improvised mourning and protest memorials devised as national whipping posts in several major cities throughout the country. The ideological foundations of the memorials and monuments dedicated to Pim Fortuyn were laid during his lifetime, as becomes clear in retrospect. Virtually out of the blue, Fortuyn, a former sociology professor, was at the forefront of national Dutch politics from 20 August 2001. In editorial columns he wrote over the years for Elsevier, a Dutch news magazine, he had identified the problems that in his eyes had been averted, denied or seemingly resolved via the current Dutch polder policy system of harmony. In addition to Fortuynist zealots or sympathisers with his political movement, the driving forces comprised a far broader segment of Dutch society. This chapter explores how the performative effect has influenced public opinion in the Netherlands about Fortuyn and with respect to several subsequent changes in politics and society.
