Hilbrand Nawijn

Who is Hilbrand Nawijn?

Hilbrand Pier Anne Nawijn is a Dutch politician of the Party for the Netherlands. He was Minister for Integration & Immigration from July 22, 2002 until May 27, 2003 and later a Member of the House of Representatives for the Pim Fortuyn List.

Nawijn was born in Kampen. The son of a burgemeester, he is a descendant of Firmin Navin, a French Huguenot who had fled to Holland in 1696 to escape persecution. After graduating Emelwerda College in Emmeloord he studied law at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. Following a long career working for the Dutch Ministry of Justice he was elected in 2002 as a member of the Christen-Democratisch Appèl for the city council of Zoetermeer. Nawijn was an early supporter of the openly gay, populist Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn and in 2002, when Fortuyn founded the Pim Fortuyn List, Nawijn earned a place on the list. Despite the assassination of Fortuyn by an animal rights activist, which happened days before the election, the LPF emerged with a successful result, thus bringing Nawijn into the Dutch House of Representatives. He was appointed Minister for Integration and Immigration in the first Balkenende cabinet.