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July 04, 2005
Criminalizing Dissent in Belgium
The Vlaams Belang
When they're not performing gay marriages, letting rapists off with a slap on the wrist or attempting to indict the political leaders of the West for war crimes, Belgium's bureaucrats love to persecute the right-wing Flemish nationalists of the Vlaams Belang (the Flemish Interest). The VB, a Flemish separatist, socially conservative, imigration-restrictionist party is currently the largest vote-getter in Flanders(1). It is the successor organization to the Vlaams Blok, which had received almost 1/4 of the popular vote in Flanders in the most recent elections. The Blok, however, after years of attempts to destroy it on the part of the Belgian left, was finally held to be a "racist organization" by Belgium's Supreme Court in November, 2004. While this did not make the organization illegal, it made any support of or membership in it grounds for heavy legal penalties. According to Belgium's Anti-Racism Act:
Whoever belongs to a group or association that clearly and repeatedly practices or advocates discrimination or segregation in the circumstances given in article 444 of the Penal Code, or who lends his assistance to any such group or association, shall be punished by a prison sentence of one month to one year and by a fine of fifty francs to one thousand francs, or by one of these punishments alone.
Further, the court's finding allowed the Belgian government to cut of the Vlaams Blok's access to campaign financing and media access. In response, the Vlaams Blok dissolved itself and reorganized as the Vlaams Belang.
In recent weeks, however, the new party has been threatened with renewed persecution. According to Expatica.com, a dispute over the identity of individuals who desecrated a cemetary in the town of Sint-Niklaas around Easter has led to new charges being filed against the VB.
In a party magazine, the Flemish Interest claimed police deliberately decided against revealing to the public that immigrant youths carried out the cemetery vandalism.
It said the incident was proof the Muslim community did not respect Flemish culture, values and beliefs.
However, Sint-Niklaas Mayor Freddy Willockx has dismissed the allegations as lies, newspaper 'De Standaard' reported on Monday.
Both Willockx and the local police chief were enraged by the claims, pointing out that the vandals were native Flemish youths.
When the Vlaams Belang refused to retract the claims, Willockx (a member of the Socialist Party) filed charges with the semi-official Center for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism (CGKR - Centrum voor gelijkheid van kansen en voor racismebestrijding).
CGKR director Jozef de Witte said the anti-racism centre is compiling evidence against the right-wing party again.
"I would prefer not to start a second lawsuit, but if they continue, I cannot do otherwise. The Flemish Block was convicted because of clear and repeated 'scapegoating'," De Witte said.
"It changed its name [to Flemish Interest] while no one asked it to. But it must change its practices and stop the hate campaign and this is what it doesn't do. The Flemish Interest must realise that it cannot go unpunished just because it was previously convicted."
The CGKR aparatchik's warnings should not be taken lightly. The Belgian left has shown that it will not be deterred by such niceties as respect for democratic rights in its drive to construct a politically correct multicultural paradise. As part of this, effectively disenfranchising a million or so Flemish voters will mean little to it. Perhaps it's time for the Vlaams Belang to start thinking about another new name.
(1) For the Vlaams Belang's Manifesto, see here.
For the Vlaams Belang's English language quarterly, see here.
For background on Flanders and its history from a pro-Vlaams Belang standpoint, see here.
An interesting but unfortunately no longer very active blog on the Benelux countries is Vermetel, who posted on the Vlaams Blok's legal troubles a couple of years ago here.
For longish post from a left/liberal blog critical of both the VB and the government's attempts to destroy it, see Stefan Geens' blog.
Posted by John at July 4, 2005 02:43 PM
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