SUMMARY: Assassinated Dutch politician was buried on Saturday in Provesano, Italy, near his vacation home.

Assassinated Dutch politician was buried on Saturday in Provesano, Italy, near his vacation home. Some 35 family and friends from the Netherlands gathered for the small ceremony, the Associated Press reported.

His remains were exhumed on Friday from a temporary burial plot and flown on Saturday to the town in northeastern Italy.

His white coffin was laid to rest inside a marble tomb, with the phrase "Defend freedom of speech" engraved in Latin.

After bursting to political popularity earlier this year, the openly gay Fortuyn was shot dead on May 6 by an animal rights activist, who has refused to give a motive for the killing and has reportedly started a hunger strike in prison.

The assassination occurred nine days before the national elections, during which Fortuyn's party, now called the List, picked up 26 seats in Parliament.

Fortuyn was known for advocating a policy of zero immigration. In the Netherlands' new three-party coalition government, the List has responsibility for the ministry in charge of immigration.

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