Rotterdam mourns Pim Fortuyn

Admirers sobbed as the coffin was carried past

By Carl Stiansen In Rotterdam

The pavement outside Rotterdam's town hall, where Pim Fortuyn scored his major electoral triumph, has become akin to a place of worship for his followers.

Pim Fortuyn's house: One of two improvised shrines

It is a sea of flowers, cuddly toys, bottles of claret, miniature windmills, cigars and Feyenoord football club memorabilia. Among the letters and cards, lies a large crimson heart.

It is the same picture outside Mr Fortuyn's elegant town house.

The thousands of mourners marching through Rotterdam on Friday to his memorial service passed by both shrines, chanting and singing well-known Dutch songs to the words of "Pim Fortuyn".

Terriers

Pim's butler and close friend, Herman, arrived to dignified applause with his late master's two tiny Yorkshire Terriers.

I am still shocked; but I am now slowly realising that this - this death and funeral - is happening

Henry Westendorp

Pim Fortuyn's body in a white coffin followed, brought in a white hearse.

Flowers of every description were thrown by the crowds waiting under grey overcast skies.

Inside the cathedral stood hundreds of long white candles, huge wreaths and white flowers.

Pim Fortuyn: Not a racist, say his followers

Among the crowds outside - a mixture of young and old, white and non-white, men and women - the mood was predictably grim.

Ricki Horsten, aged 26, said : "This is a terribly sad day. No-one should be killed for just saying what they believe in."

Henry Westendorp, aged 29, said: "Like everyone in Holland, I am still shocked; but I am now slowly realising that this - this death and funeral - is happening."

Finally we had someone to speak out and shake the government, and now he is gone

Anne de Greeff

Monique Matze, aged 28, told me: "The reality is finally sinking in. First I felt my anger, now I miss him."

Another woman, Anne de Greeff, said: "We are here to make a protest against what has happened.

"I feel the whole week very sad, because finally we had someone to speak out and shake the government, and now he is gone."

Others rejected the widely held view that Pim Fortuyn was a racist or a fascist.

Flowers were thrown on to the hearse

Those gathered are mostly loyal to Lijst Pim Fortuyn party and against those who served the outgoing "purple coalition" government.

Last wishes

There was very tight security here - something Pim Fortuyn never had.

His lawyer this week said that Pim couldn't afford bodyguards.

In his last ever media interview, Mr Fortuyn laughed off threats to himself and said he expected to live till he was at least 87 years old.

He had two last wishes for his death: first, that he be buried - but not under he ground.

Second, that he be laid to rest in Italy.

It will take up to eight weeks to prepare his final grave in Italy so he is being taken first to the family grave near the port of Ijmuiden.