A VMO march in Brussels

The Vlaamse Militanten Orde (Flemish Militants Order in Dutch) or VMO - originally Vlaamse Militanten Organisatie (Flemish Militants Organisation) - was a Flemish nationalist activist group in Belgium defending far-right interests by propaganda and political action. In 1949, this organization was founded by the Vlaamse Concentratie (Flemish Concentration), a group of former VNV members. Later, in 1954 they would found the Volksunie (VU), a Belgian political party. The links between the extremist VMO and the VU lessened as the party moved towards the centre until all links were formally severed in 1963. Image File history File links VMO_2. ... Image File history File links VMO_2. ... Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen) has several main meanings: the social, cultural and linguistical, scientific and educational, economical and political community of the Flemings; some prefer to call this the Flemish community (others refer to this as the Flemish nation) which is, with over 6 million inhabitants, the majority of all Belgians... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix Nationalism is an ideology [1] that holds that a nation is the fundamental unit for human social life, and takes precedence over any other social and political principles. ... Far right, extreme right, ultra-right, radical right, or hard right are terms used to discuss the relative position a group or person occupies within a political spectrum. ... An Australian anti-conscription propaganda poster from World War One Propaganda is a specific type of message presentation directly aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of people, rather than impartially providing information. ... VNV or Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond (Flemish National Union) was a flamingant party in the 30s. ... Volksunie was a Belgian political party. ... Extremism is the act of taking a belief, political view or ideology to its most literal extreme. ... In politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ...

Foundation and early years

The VMO was founded in 1949 by Bob Maes, a Flemish militant who sought the creation of an independent (some even used the words racially pure) Flanders. 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen) has several main meanings: the social, cultural and linguistical, scientific and educational, economical and political community of the Flemings; some prefer to call this the Flemish community (others refer to this as the Flemish nation) which is, with over 6 million inhabitants, the majority of all Belgians...

In the years following the end of World War II, Flemish nationalists often fell victim in anti-nazi rallies, manifestations and riots because of their anti-Belgicism and because the entire Flemish movement was discredited by military, political and economical collaboration with the Germans during World War II. The Flemish nationalists were considered neo-nazis and outlawed. The VMO was founded as a security force in order to protect Flemish nationalists against public lynching. Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Motto: Dutch: Eendracht maakt macht French: Lunion fait la force German: Einigkeit macht stark (English: Unity Makes Strength) Anthem: La Brabançonne (The Song of Brabant) Capital Brussels Largest city Brussels, Antwerp1 Dutch, French, German Government Federal constitutional monarchy  - King Albert II  - Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt Independence from Netherlands... Politics is the process by which decisions are made within groups. ... Wikibooks has more about this subject: Economics Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Economics U.S. Economic Calendar Economics at the Open Directory Project Economics textbooks on Wikibooks The Economists Economics A-Z Institutions and organizations Bureau of Labor Statistics - from the American Labor Department Center... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section can be improved by converting lengthy lists to text. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... The terms Neo-Nazism and Neo-Fascism refer to any social or political movement to revive Nazism or Fascism, respectively, and postdates the Second World War. ... Lynch mob redirects here. ...

Soon, the VMO started expanding and turned into a full-size paramilitary organization, a state within the state. Their armed members were prepared for combat and war in the numerous VMO training camps in the Ardennes. A paramilitary organization is a group of civilians trained and organised in a military fashion. ... An organization or organisation (read more about -ize vs -ise) is a formal group of people with one or more shared goals. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Between 1950 en 1970, the VMO was heavily criticized but nevertheless tolerated by the Justice Department. On 14 December 1953 however, 16 individual VMO members were convicted for the posession of forbidden weapons and for battering and injuring war heroes and resistance members, earlier that year. The VMO itself was not convicted. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. ...

First trial

On June 14th 1970, a trial against the VMO was initiated after violent clashes with supporters of the Democratic Front of Francophones at a rally, leaving one man dead and several other severely injured. The VMO chairman Bob Maes decided to disband the VMO in order to prevent the members of further prosecution. Soon after this, Bob Maes was elected senator for the Volksunie and started defending more moderate points of view. June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... The Democratic Front of the Francophones (Front Démocratique des Francophones, or FDF), is a Brussels French-speaking Belgian political party. ... A chairman is the presiding officer of a meeting, organization, committee, or other deliberative body. ... A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ...

The new VMO

A VMO demonstration in Voeren

Numerous members of the disbanded VMO did not support Maes' decision and reconstituted the VMO in 1971 as "Vlaamse Militanten Orde", refering to the "Dinaso Militanten Orde". Several Flemish extremists, radicals, neo-fascists and racists could be detected among the founding members, including the white supremacist Bert Eriksson. The 'new' VMO soon became an unofficial guard for the then marginal Flemish Block, the predecessor of the Vlaams Belang party. Image File history File links VMO_1. ... Image File history File links VMO_1. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... The Verdinaso was a fascist political party in Belgium during the 1930s. ... This page pertains to fascism after World War II. For a discussion of groups and movements that also include as core tenets racial nationalism, antisemitism, and praise for Hitler, see Neo-Nazism. ... White supremacy is the variety of white nationalism that believes the white race should rule over other races. ... Bert Eriksson (June 30, 1931 – October 2, 2005) was a leading Belgian neo-Nazi and Flemish nationalist. ... The Flemish Block (Dutch: Vlaams Blok) was a Flemish right-wing nationalist political party which rejected the state of Belgium, calling for political independence for the Flemish half of the country. ... Vlaams Belang (English: Flemish Interest) is a Belgian political party. ...

The new VMO became associated with a series of attacks on immigrants, Walloons and leftists as well as the organisation of annual international neo-Nazi rallies at Diksmuide, where representatives of the League of Saint George and the National States' Rights Party were amongst those in attendance. Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. ... The term Walloons (French: Wallons, Walloon: Walons) refers, in daily speech, to French-speaking Belgians from Wallonia. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Left-Right politics. ... Diksmuide (Dixmude in French) is a municipality in the province of West Flanders in Belgium. ... The League of St. ... National States Rights Party is a far right party that found a minor role in the politics of the United States. ...

In the seventies, VMO gained international attention by repatriating the dead corpses of former collaborators of WW2 to their homeland. In Austria, a VMO commando (Operation Brevier) dag up the corpse of the priest Cyriel Verschaeve, the former leader of the national-solidarist Verdinaso, and buried it again in Flemish soil. The dead bodies of Staf De Clercq, the former leader of the Vlaams Nationaal Verbond (Operation Delta), and Anton Mussert, the former Dutch NSB leader (Operation Wolfsangel), were also dug up and reburied in Flanders. Cyriel Verschaeve (30th April 1874-8th November 1949) was a noted Belgian clergyman and writer (nicknamed the Black Chaplain) who was condemned for collaboration with the Nazis during the Second World War. ... A number of different political parties in various contexts have referred to themselves as National Socialist parties. ... The Verdinaso was a fascist political party in Belgium during the 1930s. ... Staf De Clercq Staf De Clercq (16 September 1884 – 22 October 1942) was a co-founder and leader of the Flemish nationalist Vlaamsch Nationale Verbond (Flemish National League, or VNV). ... The VNV flag The Flemish National Union (Dutch: Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond, VNV) was a Nationalist Flemish political party in Belgium, founded by Staf de Clerq on October 8, 1933. ... Anton Mussert Anton Adriaan Mussert (May 11, 1894-May 7, 1946) was a successful civil engineer who worked for the Dutch government. ... The NSB, Norges Statsbaner AS., known in English as Norwegian State Railways is a transport company, created in its present form by the Norwegian National Rail Administration through legislation on December 1, 1996, but then privatized on July 1, 2002, owned privately by Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications. ...

Overview of the alleged crimes

1978

• December : attack on the Polish soccer player Lubanski in Lokeren.

Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ... Lokeren is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. ...

1979

• February : riots with the police after an anti-immigrant demonstration in Schilde.
• April : attack on a francophone school in Mortsel.
• May : fire-bombing of a Turkish bar in Antwerp.
• June : fire-bombing of the car of a francophone inhabitant of Voeren.
• August : training camp in Germany together with the terrorist Hofmann Group.
• October : attack on the town hall of 's-Gravenvoeren.

Schilde is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. ... Francophone means French-speaking. ... Mortsel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. ... The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (Cathedral of our Lady) at the Handschoenmarkt, in the old quarter of Antwerp is the largest cathedral in the Low Countries and home to several triptychs by Baroque painter Rubens. ... Voeren (French: Fourons) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. ... This article is becoming very long. ... City Hall is a 1996 film directed by Harold Becker. ... Voeren (French: Fourons) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. ...

1980

• February : attack on a socialist book store in Mechelen.
• March : attack on a bar in Moelingen.
• April : attack on the Halletoren in Bruges.
• October : training camp in the United States together with the Ku Klux Klan.
• November : riots with the police after a Flemish nationalist demonstration in Kraainem.

Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ... Mechelen: Grote Markt square, with St. ... Voeren (French: Fourons) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. ... Sometimes referred to as the Venice of the North, Bruges has many waterways that run through the city. ... Members of the second Ku Klux Klan at a rally during the 1920s. ... Kraainem (French: Kraainem or Crainhem (not officialy) is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. ...

1981

• April : fire-bombing of a Moroccan bar in Lokeren.
• May : attack on a trade union building in Sint-Niklaas.

The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Sint-Niklaas is a municipality located in the province of East Flanders, Flemish Region, Belgium. ...

1982

• February : visit to Leon Degrelle in Marbella, Spain.

Léon Degrelle Léon Degrelle (June 15, 1906-April 1, 1994) was a founder of Belgian Rexism who joined the Waffen SS (becoming a leader of its Wallon contingent) and, after the war, became a prominent figure in the neo-fascist and Holocaust revisionist movements. ... Street in Marbella, Spain 2005. ...

1983

• July : attack on a francophone bar in Voeren.

1984

• December : attack on a socialist bar in Bruges.

1985

• March : attack on leftist demonstrators in Ghent.
• September : fire-bombing of a socialist book store in Sint-Niklaas.
• October : attack on the Masereelfonds building in Bruges.
• November : attack on anti-fascist demonstrators in Lommel.

Lommel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. ...

The end of the VMO

In 1981, 109 VMO members were sentenced by the Antwerp Court to imprisonment. In 1983, the VMO was condemned as a private militia by the Ghent Court of Appeal and outlawed. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (Cathedral of our Lady) at the Handschoenmarkt, in the old quarter of Antwerp is the largest cathedral in the Low Countries and home to several triptychs by Baroque painter Rubens. ... A trial at the Old Bailey in London as drawn by Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Pugin for Ackermanns Microcosm of London (1808-11). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gent at Night Ghent (IPA: ; Gent in Dutch; Gand in French, formerly Gaunt in English) is a city and a municipality located in Flanders, Belgium. ... Court of Appeals is the title of certain appellate courts in various jurisdictions. ...

Despite this verdict, the VMO was considered to be active and operational until the late eighties, when several similar organizations were founded to replace the VMO. The three most successful of these VMO successors are the Odal Group, Blood&Honour and Voorpost. The odal or othala rune Odalism (from the Proto-Germanic word ôþalan which roughly means heritage,) is a Teutonic Folkish movement based on pride in ones own ancient cultural and religious traditions, rather than adopting those of outside cultures. ... Blood & Honour is a militant neo-Nazi network founded in 1987 in response to the Anti-Nazi Leagues Rock Against Racism movement. ... Voorpost (Outpost in English) is a group founded in Belgium. ...