| Vlaams Blok |
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Note that Flemish Block turned themselves into Flemish Interest (Vlaams Belang) since their condemnation for racism by the Belgian High Court in 2004 The Flemish Block (. It was a Euronationalist party. That party was widely considered an "extreme-right" party in Belgium, to the point that there is an agreement between all other (mainstream) Flemish parties not to make coalitions with it. As of 2005, this agreement still extends to the successor of Flemish Block : Flemish Interest . An - Halle - Vilvoorde /Bruxelles-Hal-Vilvorde). HISTORY The party first made its appearance in the 1978 General Elections . It was founded by dissatisfied members, including a former deputy of the then Volksunie ( Lode Claes ) and more right-wing militants as Karel Dillen . The founders had strong links and open sympathies for the collaboration with the Nazis during World War II . It has experienced a continuous electoral growth (with the exception of the 1981 Elections ). The Vlaams Blok is particularly strong in and around Antwerp , where it received thirty-three percent of the votes in the last municipal elections. Since the end of the eighties, its main focus tends to be on " Euronationalist " themes such as Immigration and criminality. Because of this evolution, some members have left the party, but this doesn't seem to have caused much electoral damage. Many studies and opinion polls show that its electoral support is mainly based on its tough image on immigration and criminality, and on its image as the "only real opposition party", rather than on its platform for the creation of an independent Flemish Republic . In fact, some polls show that a majority of its electorate is opposed to the disappearance of the Belgian Monarchy . In 1996, Karel Dillen , who was "President for life" since 1977, appointed Frank Vanhecke as his successor. It is believed by many that Filip Dewinter is the party's real strong man. In 2002 party ideologue and vice-president , a Vlaams Blok politician was dropped from a delegation of Flemish parliamentarians due to visit the Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly after strongly criticizing the SNP [http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/08/276065.html . In April 2004 , an Appeal court in Ghent, Belgium, ruled the party as racist and found it guilty of breaching the anti-racism law. The court ruled that the party regularly portrays foreigners as "criminals who take bread from the mouths of Flemish workers" and found it guilty of "permanent incitement to Segregation and racism" {Link without Title} . The Vlaams Blok appealed the court decision, but the ruling was confirmed on November 9 , 2004 by the Belgian High Court, effectively sentencing the party to abandoning the racist elements of its program and paying a fine of about 40,000 Euro s. The leadership of the Vlaams Blok seized the occasion to dissolve the party, and start afresh under a new name. The whole trial was seen by some as a political trial, inspired by the Belgian establishment. The federal parliament changed the Constitution to create legal possibilities to get the Vlaams Blok condemned. {Link without Title} In the federal parliament, it is now the fifth-largest party in Belgium, with 11.6 percent of the Belgian vote and 17.9 percent of the Flemish vote. It has 18 seats in the federal chamber of representatives. It had its best electoral result to date in the , refusing all cooperation. It seems quite questionable if the so-called ''cordon sanitaire'' will stand in 2006 during the local elections. Several politicians within CD&V, VLD and N-VA oppose the ''cordon sanitaire'' and see it as a form of protectionism from the left to stay in government. Supreme Court's decision of November 9, 2004 On November 9, 2004, the Belgian Supreme Court upheld a decision of the Appeal court of Ghent ruling that the Vlaams Blok was a racist party, or more precisely that the party pursued permanent incitement to discrimination and racial segregation. The Supreme Court held that the prohibition to pursue discrimination and segregation in an obvious and sustained manner is also applicable to political parties (press release in Dutch and in French [http://www.juridat.be/cass/cass_fr/p4.htm , see decision in Dutch below). On November 14, the Vlaams Blok disbanded itself, and a new party with the name Vlaams Belang (in English: Flemish Interest) was created. According to the party leaders, the new party will follow the same programme as used during the regional elections of 2004, but without the infamous '70 points programme', which was the basis of the party since 1992. Gerolf Annemans created instant controversy during the inauguration event of the new party by issuing veiled personal threats to the prosecutors and judges who presided over the case in the Supreme Court and courts of appeal. , the Supreme Court public prosecutor, laughed at the Flemish Block lawyers during the decisive Supreme Court session the week before. Flemish Interest also alleges that past ties between Timperman and Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt are evidence that the trial of Vlaams Blok was politically motivated. NOTABLE MEMBERS
SEE ALSO Flemish political parties
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