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Vlaams Belang

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Vlaams Belang (English: Flemish Interest) is a right-wing Belgian political party. It supports Flemish independence, restricted immigration, and free market economics. Opponents see it as far-right (see an article by Eric Defoort for one view on this subject).

Vlaams Belang was formed in 2004 by members of the now defunct Vlaams Blok (English: Flemish Block), which was condemned by the High Court for permanent incitation to discrimination and racism in November 2004.[1] Members of the Vlaams Belang party and other conservatives, such as the law professor Matthias Storme, as well as some non-conservative Flemish people, see it as a political trial inspired by the Belgian establishment, which would not have been possible were it not for amendments to laws carried out in the preceding years.

Changes to the party platform have been made to allow it to comply with the law and the motto of Vlaams Blok, Eigen volk eerst ("Our own people first"), has been dropped.

Vlaams Belang, and the former Vlaams Blok is a very divisive issue in Belgium, particularly in Flanders. One response to Vlaams Belang has been attempts to cut state funding for the party. However, this is viewed by some as being counter-productive (see an article by Bart Brinckman for one view on this subject).

Policies

Vlaams Belang advocates independence for Flanders and strict limitations on immigration. It is a leading force in the militant wing of the Flemish movement and is a Euronationalist party.

Some of the main points in its platform include:

  • Independence for Flanders. One stated reason for this is financial transfers between Flanders and Wallonia (the other part of Belgium) which Vlaams Belang considers to be unjustified. Vlaams Belang also worries about consequences for the Belgian employment cost.
  • Increase child benefits including provisions which allow one parent, if both employed, to remain at home for the benefit of education for their child or children. This is aimed at increasing the birth rate.
  • Reform of the pension system based upon investment funds. The Belgian state pension system is currently performing the worst out of all Western European countries. [2] [3]
  • Preserve the current education system. The 2003 Pisa Report places it as best out of those it reviewed.
  • Block Turkey from joining the European Union.
  • Repeal anti-racism and anti-discrimination legislation on the grounds of free speech.
  • Repeal the 2003 Belgian nuclear power exit by 2025 legislation on the grounds of a lower cost. The only alternative being to build new nuclear power plants in France, which would cost a multiple of simply revamping the existing Belgian plants for a new 40 years cycle.
  • Free market economic policies, such as limiting government intervention. It also advocates a flat tax.

It has dropped the policy of the return of all non-European immigrants in favour of one which states that only those who fail to assimilate must return. It also dropped a policy advocating a federation with the Netherlands in favour of closer co-operation.

Members

Some members, such as Roeland Raes have been accused of being Nazi sympathizers. See The Guardian article 'Belgium's far right party in Holocaust controversy ' for more information. However there are conflicting sources, such as (in Dutch) this Standaard.be article. Roeland Raes was charged with historical revisionism in accordance with the Belgian Negationism Law, specifically for uttering the following controversial sentence: “whether it was planned (before the war, thus ahead of the Wannsee Conference) that they should all die during the war is another question”, however he has not been found guilty. During the interview, Raes also had no doubts about the systematic persecution and deportation of the Jews by the Germans.

Relationships

With other organisations and persons

  • The party has good relationships with other European right wing parties : Front National in France, FPÖ in Austria, ...
  • On 21 Juni 2005 there was a meeting between the Dutch Hilbrand Nawijn of the LPF-parliamentary group of the deceased Pim Fortuyn, and Philip Dewinter. This meeting caused Nawijn to leave this party, and continue as "Group Nawijn", meanwhile planning to form a new Dutch political party, close to the ideas of the Vlaams Belang.
  • The Organisation Voorpost, that advocates a Greater Netherlands, has many executives that belong to the leadership of the Vlaams Belang
  • NSV (Nationalist Student Association) : many former members of this organisation are active within Vlaams Belang.
  • Were Di ("Defend yourself").
  • Unsubstantiated allegations have arizen about good relations of a number of Vlaams Belang executives with the Ku Klux Klan.

Critics

  • The other Belgian political parties have formed a cordon sanitaire against the Vlaams Belang.
  • The Vlaams Belang is being watched and challenged by a number of (far) leftist, centre and right wing political organisations. Best known is Blokwatch, an organisation that collects and disseminates information on the Vlaams Belang (and its predecessor the Vlaams Blok) and other far right groups in Belgium, trying to conquer them in this manner. The organisation calls itself "objective and democratic", but followers of the Vlaams Belang refer to it as a far-leftist organisation, trying to slander the Vlaams Belang.
  • The main ideological opponents of Vlaams Belang are Groen! and FDF. The Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt of the conservative VLD is known to have repeatedly criticised the ideological stance of the Vlaams Belang, refusing any cooperation.

News articles

References

The section on "Relationships" was written using and translating the Dutch Wikipedia article

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