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Vlaams Blok | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Frank Vanhecke |
| Founded | 1978 (as coalition) |
| Registered | 28 May 1979 (as party) |
| Banned | 9 November 2004 |
| Split from | Volksunie |
| Succeeded by | Vlaams Belang |
| Youth wing | Vlaams Blok Jongeren |
| Membership | 18,000 (2004)[1] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-right |
| European Parliament group |
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| Colours | Orange, Black |
| Party flag | |
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| Website | |
| www | |
*Formerly European Right (1989–94) and Technical Group of Independents (1999–2001). | |
Vlaams Blok (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈvlaːmz ˈblɔk], VB; English: Flemish Block) was the name of a Belgian far-right and secessionist political party with an anti-immigration platform.[5] Its ideologies embraced Flemish nationalism, calling for the independence of Flanders.
The party originated from split within the Volksunie (VU) party after the right-wing separatist and national conservative wing became disgruntled with the compromise of accepting Belgian federalism over Flemish interests, and what they saw as the VU's move to the left. The former VU members created the Flemish National Party (VNP) and the Flemish People's Party (VVP) which formed an electoral alliance called Vlaams Blok in 1978, before merging to create Vlaams Blok as a political party in 1979. Vlaams Blok was the most notable militant right wing of the Flemish movement and its track record in the Flemish and Belgian parliament elections was strong, making it one of the most successful nationalist parties in Western Europe and it ultimately surpassed the People's Union in support. The party initially focused solely on the issues of Flemish autonomy and political freedom, which remained its core philosophy, but subsequently gained wider public support through broadening its campaigns to include immigration and law-and-order themes.
All significant Flemish political parties were reluctant to enter coalitions with the Vlaams Blok. Following a 1989 agreement, known as the cordon sanitaire, the party was effectively blocked from entering any level of government. The court of appeal in Ghent in April 2004 ruled that some of the party's organizations had breached the 1981 anti-racism law and that the party sanctioned discrimination. The ruling was made definite on 9 November 2004, and the party shortly after reorganised itself as the Vlaams Belang.[5] By 2004, the party had arguably become the single most popular Flemish party in Belgium, supported by about one in four of the Flemish electorate,[6] as well as being one of the most successful radical right-wing populist parties in Europe as a whole.[7]
- ^ De Winter, 2004, p. 16.
- ^ Craeybeckx, Jan; Witte, Els; Meynen, Alain (2010). Political History of Belgium: From 1830 Onwards. Asp / Vubpress / Upa. p. 336. ISBN 978-90-5487-517-8. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ^ Heywood, Andrew (2018). Essentials of Political Ideas. Palgrave. p. 58.
- ^ Thomas Poguntke; Paul Webb (2007). The Presidentialization of Politics: A Comparative Study of Modern Democracies. Oxford University Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-19-921849-3. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ^ a b Erk, 2005, pp. 493-502.
- ^ De Winter, 2004, p. 6.
- ^ Coffé, 2005, p. 205.