What do we see?
Amsterdam was in deep mourning in that first week after the murder of Theo van Gogh. Thousands of people came to the spot at Linnaeusstraat 20 and left all sorts of things there in memory of Van Gogh. There were flowers, packets of cigarettes and a notepad on which emotions were put to paper on the spot. There were also framed or laminated messages, a toy monkey with two plasters over its mouth and a sign reading: "On 2 November the Netherlands died here. I am suddenly a complete stranger in my own country."
What is the news of the day?
The Netherlands is restless. Today, too, the news is still dominated by the aftermath of 2 November. All over the country people take to the streets to vent their anger about the murder of Van Gogh at and around Islamic buildings. Attacks take place in IJsselstein and Eindhoven and measures are taken to protect the buildings.
What happened in the years that followed?
Two days after the photo was taken, the flowers, cards, cuddly toys and cigarette butts were removed from the Linnaeusstraat. Theo had been buried the day before and the family had asked for the memorial site to be cleared afterwards. The sign can be found in the Rijksmuseum and the monkey is in the Amsterdam Museum. A great many other cards and papers have been digitised and can be found in the Stadsarchief (city archives). In 2007 a sculpture commemorating the murder was placed in the Oosterpark, close to the scene of the crime. The sculpture is almost 5 metres tall and symbolises freedom of speech.
