Some of you may recall the charged debate about a monument for Theo van Gogh. Initially, the district city council was reluctant to have it in its neighborhood, afraid as it was to inflame ‘certain emotions’. That is all in the past and early next year will see the unveiling of The Scream from the hand of Dutch artist Jeroen Henneman:

A bit underwhelming to be frank, and I find it hard to connect this sculpture with Theo van Gogh’s memory and all that he stood for. There is a memorial in Amsterdam that is far more impressive and although it commemorates the fallen Dutch resistance fighters of World War II, I find it equally applicable today. What is so powerful and moving is the text, from the pen of H.M. van Randwijk, a former Dutch resistance leader:

It is hard to translate (as for instance “zwicht” rhymes with “licht” in Dutch) and this is the best I can do:

A people that bows to tyrants

Will lose more than life and belongings

Then, the lights will go out

If we want to remember Theo van Gogh and all the others who fought for freedom, free speech and everything a free and democratic society stands for, then all we need to do is to recite Van Randwijk’s extraordinary and forceful words.