Vlaams Belang: just one of the European right wing parties gaining momentum (Image: ©Ezequiel Scagnetti/ ezequiel-scagnetti.com/)

Flanders: ‘I am a separatist, not a skinhead’ (9 photos)

A Brussels-based Argentinian photographer’s insight into the xenophobic propaganda of Flanders’ separatist party Vlaams Belang. For Europe Day on 9 May you can catch his images at the exhibition-debate ‘images of the far right in Europe’ in Paris

View the image gallery

by Ezequiel Scagnetti @ , cafebabel.com

View the image gallery in:

English [original version]
- Italian
- French
- Spanish
- German

03/05/10

Tags : droite, Belgique, Europe, Politique, racisme, estrema destra, Nationalisme, Populisme, Flandre, séparatisme, Vlaams Belang.

Share :
- Send by mail
- Del.icio.us
- Digg
- Wikio
- Blogmarks
- LinkedIn
- Diigo
- Technorati
- Favourites

0votes plus 0 votes moins

Vote for this article 0votes plus 0 votes moins

Subscribe to comments reverse the order of comments Refresh comments Join the discussion

Christine-Hélène - 2010-05-04 09:31:22

reminds me of Nazi times ... shameful

Barman - 2010-05-04 14:11:41

Nazi times? That's a bit exaggerated. The separatist movement has nothing to do with exclusion of a race or religion. I think, but i am no expert, that the movement is gaining momentum due to the inability of the Francophone's to change their society to become less dependent on the Flemish part of the country. And added to it their inability to govern Brussels and the inequality they treat their Flemish countrymen in Brussels. The Francophones will to expand Brussels and with it their influence sphere purely because it's in their parties interests, not in the peoples shows that there is something fundamentally wrong. Citizens of Belgium can happily live together whatever happend in history, but political parties on both sides are causing a rift (in their interest) which is not needed and not to the benefit of the people. People on the picture are in essence creations of both Dutch and French political systems. On another note on the language battle, The Francophones are not the biggest threat to the Dutch language, they are the biggest threat to the Wallon language! Less than 100 years ago the country mostly spoke Dutch and Wallon (95%), Due to a brutal language regime French has nearly eradicated Wallon to almst 10%. Wallon should become a 4th and protected language in Belgium.

Christine-Hélène - 2010-05-04 14:49:02

"and the inequality they treat their Flemish countrymen in Brussels" ... ? ah ah ah ... poor you ! Do you know this expression : Heureusement que le ridicule ne tue pas !" ?

- 2010-05-10 13:36:19

"and the inequality they treat their Flemish countrymen in Brussels." ???? Is it some new propaganda aiming to justify a next annexation of Brussels? We know your nationalist dreams. Everybody knows that, due to the bilingual status of the city, the Brusselers who speak Flemish have the best working opportunities. EVERYONE I know here (my flemish friends included) enjoys the multicultural dimension of the city, so let us live in PEACE.

- 2010-05-10 14:34:21

"Their inability to govern Brussels". The city is under-financed by the State (out of Flemish self-interest) yet, despite of it, Brussels is still a perfectly pleasant and vibrant place to live (a bit like Berlin) and its cosmopolitan vibe makes it very special. Your process may look more civilised, but the nature of this obsession is not very different from that fear and hatred that has been spread in other parts of the world in recent years. ps : and what about this bit of your post : "Nazi times? That's a bit exaggerated". "A bit" frightening, isn't? Something to add?

- 2010-05-10 18:06:18

I've been reading the last part of your intervention, about the Walloon dialect. This dialect (or better said, this dialect family) is closed to French. I understand Walloon and I can speak it a bit. It's been slowly but surely disappearing. It may be sad and I think it is (cause I'm a bit romantic like you ;-)) but so it is. You speak of a "brutal language regime". I'd rather say that, in the countryside and in the workers' housing estates, the people aspired to a better education. Do you think that the people in Lyon, Lille of Rouen spoke French in the 18th century? Do you want to bring back all the ancient dialects in each and every village and town? Come on! And in the region we now call Flanders, do you want the people of Hasselt to speak only Limburger or the people of Bruges to speak only West-Flemish?

- 2010-05-10 18:37:47

"close to french" (not "closed to french")

- 2010-05-10 18:38:31

"close to french" (not "closed to french")

SoulOstendaise - 2010-05-12 18:02:14

You are not going to tell me, cher Barman, that Mr Dieter Leemans (photo #5) doesn't slightly reek of Nazi? If that's not what they want to emulate, they might want to consider another disguise!

Christine-Hélène - 2010-05-12 21:37:07

Thank you SoulOstendaise ! nice to see not everybody is delusional ...

Got anything to say? Do it here!

Already a babelian? Log-in. Or sign up!