:quality(80)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/cae4720a-ae33-11eb-a8fd-02d2fb1aa1d7.JPG "Lale Gül, Fidan Ekiz and Ronald Plasterk nominated for Fortuyn Prize | Inland")
The Pim Fortuyn Prize is awarded annually to opinion makers, administrators or politicians who ‘fight for free speech, dare to break through taboos and take a stand in the social debate’.
According to the jury, the Turkish-Dutch Gül has written a candid book about the hypocrisy within her community with her autobiographical novel ‘Ik ga leven’. “Since the publication of her book, she has had to go into hiding, has been threatened, intimidated and excluded from her community because she chose to speak freely.”
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Ⓒ Matty van Wijnbergen
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Ekiz, who also has a Turkish background, deals in her columns and books with “tricky issues that touch and strongly affect her personal life. Without effort, hesitation or fear, she speaks in clear language about integration problems, the Erdogan regime or the freedom of the press. ” As a duo presenter of the daily NPO1 program De Vooravond, she regularly shares an “enthusiastic opinion.” Ekiz was also nominated in 2019.
Plasterk, Marcouch, Emmer
The other contenders are Arnhem mayor Ahmed Marcouch, professor and former PvdA minister Ronald Plasterk and emeritus professor and slavery expert Piet Emmer.
Marcouch has a chance of winning the Pim Fortuyn Prize because “as the son of a Moroccan immigrant, he dares to take a stand towards both the Muslim community and the indigenous population. He doesn’t just make friends with that. His critical attitude towards orthodox Islam even resulted in a fatwa (Islamic conviction) in 2008. ”
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The jury nominated Plasterk because after his ministry he started mixing in the public debate with columns in De Telegraaf. “In his opinion he is swimming against the current. In this way he brought a new dimension to the climate debate, by defending the necessity of nuclear energy. ”
Emmer was chosen because after his research into slavery he received much criticism from “political activists who falsely accused him of racism. He dared to express himself in this difficult and emotional debate arena and to defend himself against the disgusting allegations of people who do not want to tolerate diversity of opinion and scientific results. ”
The prize, a challenge cup, will be awarded on 20 May in Nieuwspoort. In addition to Eerdmans, the jury includes Simon Fortuyn, Afshin Ellian (who won the prize first in 2015) and Esther van Fenema (nominated last year). The latter two have replaced Rita Verdonk and Leonard Ornstein. Jort Kelder won the prize in 2020.
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:quality(80)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/65aaf460-adf0-11eb-a9da-0217670beecd.jpg "Wooden asparagus statue creates hilarity in the German city: ‘I really see something different in it’ | Abroad")
