RACIST VIOLENCE IN 15 EU MEMBER STATES - Cospe

RACIST VIOLENCE IN 15 EU MEMBER STATES - A Comparative Overview of Findings from the RAXEN NFP Reports 2001-2004
4. Belgium
4.1. CONTEXT
Belgium is a country of linguistic, cultural and political contrasts. It has three
official languages (French, Flemish and German), is divided into an array of
political and administrative sectors, and has Brussels at its heart as the European
capital. These contrasts have proved to be a hindrance to effective data collection
and management. In this respect Belgium suffers from an absence of coordinated
data collection, including data on racist violence.
Belgium’s internal divisions are reflected in the ascendancy of the populist rightwing
Vlaams Blok party, which is based in the northern city of Antwerp. Members
of the Vlaams Blok have promoted a blend of radical Flemish nationalism and an
assimilationist or repatriation policy for immigrants. The Vlaams Blok has grown
since its origins in 1978: In the last Federal election in May 2003, the party
received 11.4% of votes for the Belgium Chamber of Deputies – making it the fifth
largest political party in Belgium. In the last municipal election it was the largest
political party in the province of Antwerp, with 24.1% of the votes.
The popularity of the Vlaams Blok can be read alongside research indicating that
significant numbers of the majority population hold cautious and sometimes hostile
attitudes towards minorities. As reported in RAXEN 4, the 2000 Eurobarometer
survey revealed that 25% of Belgians variously display intolerant attitudes towards
minorities – a figure which is higher than the EU15 average of 14%.
In response to the rise of the Vlaams Blok, the other Belgium political parties
signed an agreement of non-cooperation with the Vlaams Blok – known as the
cordon sanitaire. More recently, as commented on in the RAXEN 4 report on
racist violence, there has been some public discussion about whether to maintain
the cordon sanitaire. To date though, only the Vlaams Blok has actively sought its
removal.
In comparison with the north, the French-speaking south has a number of small and
fractious extreme right-wing organisations. A combination of factors has
contributed to the relative weakness of the extreme right-wing in southern
Belgium; namely: absence of a clear ideological identity; lack of financial means;
and, notably, lack of media attention. However, against this weak political
presence, southern Belgium has witnessed a number of racist violent crimes in the
last few years.
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