Flemish Interest (Dutch: Vlaams Belang) is a far-right Belgian political party formed in 2004 by members of the now defunct Flemish Block (Dutch: Vlaams Blok), which was condemned by a court for permanent incitation to discrimination and racism in November 2004. It advocates independence for Flanders and strict limitations on immigration.

Platform

A few points in the platform:

• Immediate return of all immigrants and a federation with the Netherlands are no longer found in the platform (moreover it is similar to the Flemish Block's platform for the regional/European elections of spring 2004). Only those immigrants who do not "assimilate" must go back and with the Netherlands they aspire a cooperation that is as close as possible.
• The motto Eigen volk eerst ("our own people first") has been left, at least officially.
• Independence for Flanders. This aims at stopping the "financial transfers" from Flanders to Wallonia, which Vlaams Belang sees as unjustified.
• An educator salary and increased child benefits for toddlers must allow the working couple, if so desired, to leave one parent at home for the education of the children, with the intention to support the waning Flemish birth rate.
• The retirement pay system must be revamped according to Dutch standards with an investment fund as an intermediate buffer between income and expense, the so-called Flemish “Gold Fund”, so that pensions remain payable in future.
• The traditional Flemish school discipline, which actually helps to situate the Flemish education system at the world top (Pisa-report 2003), must be preserved.
• Turkey should not be allowed to become an EU member because Turks are foreign to European culture.
• The party presents itself as very committed to freedom of speech, and considers the existing so-called Belgian "anti-racism" and "anti-discrimination" laws in contradiction to it.

External links

• Official web page (http://www.vlaamsbelang.org/)
• Official Vlaams Belang party manifesto (http://www.flemishrepublic.org/manifesto.htm)
• Vdare.com: Anti-Immigration Party Banned In Belgium (http://vdare.com/misc/belien_041109_belgium.htm)
• The Blok is dead. Long live the Vlaams Belang? (http://majorityrights.com/index.php/weblog/comments/39/:)
• BBC: Blow to Belgium's far right (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3995341.stm)
• Telegraph: Flemish party banned as racist by Belgium's high court (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/11/10/wbelg10.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/11/10/ixportal.html)

In Dutch

• Zeg niet zomaar "fascist" tegen Dewinter (http://www.standaard.be/archief/dag/index.asp?snel=0&datum=23/12/2004&prev=G33B6RSA), an article from De Standaard newspaper, riposte to Belgian Prime Minister, Guy Verhofstadt and his alleged use of a familiar slur against Vlaams Belang’s leading member, Filip Dewinter, written by Eric Defoort [1] (http://www.kubrussel.ac.be/onderwijs/personeel/defoort/defoort.htm), dean of the History Department of (Dutch-speaking) Brussels Catholic University.