April 24th 2004
From The BNP Website
On April 21st a Belgian court issued a verdict which has
to all intents and purposes banned an opposition political
party. The party is the Flemish speaking Vlaams Blok (Flemish
Bloc/Group), which is campaigning on the similar pro-sovereignty
platform of the BNP. This is a deliberate attempt to silence
the patriots of Europe who are opposed to enhanced powers
for the centralised European Superstate. What happens
in Belgium today could happen in the UK in the near future,
effectively silencing any dissident voice to the European
Project. This is the real fascist face of the European
Superstate, it will not tolerate opposition.
We publish below the press statement released
by the VB, earlier today. The section headers are our
won, added to enhance the corresponding text.
In addition, our readers may wish to avail
themselves of the facts by visiting the official
VB website.
VB Press Release
On 21 April, the Court of Appeal in Ghent
ruled that the Vlaams Blok, the Flemish secessionist party
expected to win the regional and European elections on
13 June, (UK holds its elections on June 10th) is a "racist"
party proposing political solutions that are not in line
with the European and international human rights treaties.
The Court fined three non-profit organisations because
they collaborate with the Vlaams Blok.
According to the Court, chaired by Judge
Alain Smetrijns, a Francophone from Ghent, the Vlaams
Blok is racist because it proposes policies that leave
immigrants only two options: "to assimilate or to
return home."
The Ghent ruling is the third ruling in
this case which was initiated in 2000 by a government
agency resorting directly under Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt,
the "Centre for Equal Opportunities and the Fight
against Racism."
Judges, not jury!
The Belgian Constitution states that a political
party can only be brought before a court with a jury -
the so-called "Cour d'Assises." The Belgian
regime feared, however, that a popular jury would never
convict the Vlaams Blok. Hence, the government wanted
a ruling by professional judges. Judges in Belgium are
not elected or appointed by lawyers, but are appointed
by the governing political parties. By bringing three
non-profit organisations of the Vlaams Blok to court,
the case could be brought before a non-jury penal court.
The charge is that these three organisations "collaborate"
with a party, i.e. the Vlaams Blok, that does not respect
basic international treaties.
In 2001, a Flemish judge of the Brussels
Penal Court refused to issue a verdict in the case, arguing
that it is up to the electorate to decide about the fate
of political parties. In February 2003, the Flemish section
of the Brussels Court of Appeal reaffirmed this ruling.
The head of the government agency thereupon declared that
he would harass the Vlaams Blok with court cases until
he could find a judge willing to convict the party.
After the Belgian Supreme Court, consisting
of Flemings as well as Francophones, overruled the Brussels
verdict last November, the case was brought before the
Court of Appeal in Ghent, which is known to be a stronghold
of Socialists and Liberals.
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Frank Venhenke,
President of the Belgian Vlaams Blok.
Banned by the politically appointed undemocratic
Belgian legal system.
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Massive fine
The three organisations (one of them collects
the party's government subsidies, another trains local
party officials, another produces campaign videos) were
heavily fined (12,400 euros each). The verdict is intended
to intimidate the Flemings. Every party official and every
party member can now be brought to court as a "collaborator"
of the Vlaams Blok and risks a similar fine.
Left wing aim to smash the VB
When Guy Verhofstadt and Louis Michel came
to power in 1999 with the first Liberal-Socialist coalition
in over forty years, they said that their priority would
be the elimination of the Vlaams Blok. "The issue
I want to be judged upon," Prime Minister Verhofstadt
said, "is whether I will be able to stop the Vlaams
Blok." The court case against the party was initiated
barely a few months after Verhofstadt took office.
Flanders' biggest party?
The growing electoral appeal of the Vlaams
Blok threatens the existence of Belgium. Polls predict
that the party is going to win the coming elections and
could even become Flanders' (and Belgium's) biggest party.
Hence, the Vlaams Blok has to be killed. The Ghent verdict
has nothing to do with its "racism" but with
its aim of Flemish independence. The Vlaams Blok is not
racist, and neither are its 800,000 Flemish voters.
Appeal in process
Measures to defund the party have already
been set in motion. A few years ago, Belgium voted a law
restricting the private financing of political parties.
This law made it illegal for politicians and parties to
accept donations from companies as well as donations by
individuals of over 125 euros. From then on, political
parties were subsidised by the state in proportion with
the number of votes they received in the elections. Five
years ago the Parti Socialiste (PS) proposed a bill to
stop all state funding of the Vlaams Blok. "It is
intolerable that the Belgian State should subsidise its
enemies," the PS said. The Ghent ruling allows the
governing parties to rob the Vlaams Blok of all its finances.
An appeal of the party before the Supreme Court will probably
gain the party enough time to allow it to stand in the
elections on 13 June. If, however, the Supreme Court reaffirms
the Ghent ruling, the coming elections will be the last
in which the Vlaams Blok, Flanders' major opposition party,
will be able to participate.
Frank Vanhecke, Senator
President of the Vlaams Blok
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