Volkert de Graaf, who
murdered the politician Pim Fortuyn in 2002 has been freed from jail. He has
received death threats probably from extreme right wingers. Already last year
Deputy Minister Fred Teeven expressed fears that right wing extremists would
take revenge.
On National Liberation Day,
May 5 the Hitler Salute ‘Sieg Heil’ was shouted three times by a mechanical
sculpture which was erected next to the national Monument for the Fallen in the
Second World War on the major Dam square in Amsterdam. On National Memorial
Day, 4 May there the ceremony for the fallen took place. The sculpture was
created at the request of the Amsterdam 4 and 5 May committee. On May 5
citizens could send a sms which was then shouted by the sculpture on that day. 
Retired
army general Peter van Uhm has respect for the Dutch youngsters who leave for Syria to participate in the war
there. Van Uhm has been Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army and Chief of
Defence until his retirement in 2012. In a radio program he said that the Dutch
“Syria goers” are fighting for their ideals. He maintained his opinion even after
it became known that some of the Dutch jihadists have committed suicide attacks.It has now become known that
in addition to the late Jo Gijsen, the former bishop of Roermond, another Dutch
bishop has been found guilty of sexual abuse of young boys. The complaints
commission of Meldpunt Misbruik RKK has two years ago found Jan Nienhaus guilty
in four cases. Nienhaus who died in 2000 is the former assistant bishop of the
archbishopric Utrecht and the titular bishop of Breda. Wim Eijk, the cardinal
of Utrecht has offered written apologies to the victims. They have also been
paid an amount of money. The church has however kept all information about
Nienhaus being found guilty silent for two years. Membership of Dutch Churches has halved from more than 60% of the population
to about 30% in 2012. The decline has been greatest among Roman Catholics. This
was reported by the Social Cultural Planning Bureau. Trust in the church has
also reached its lowest point in the past twenty years. Researcher Joep de Hart
says taht this may well result from the sex abuse among clergy in the Roman Catholic
Church. 
