A Political and Economic Dictionary of Western Europe, First Edition
Flemish Block
Vlaams Blok (Flemish Block) is an extreme right-wing and nationalist party in the Flemish-speaking region of Belgium. Founded in 1977, it campaigns for an independent state of Flanders, to stop immigration, reduce crime and repatriate ‘illegal’ immigrants and ‘foreign’ criminals. The party was found guilty of breaking anti-racist laws by a Belgian court in Ghent in April 2004, and formally banned in November. However, the leadership stated that it would reconstitute the party under a different name.
Vlaams Blok made significant gains in the regional elections held in 2000. It won slightly less than 10% of the vote in Flanders and became the largest party in Belgium’s second city, Antwerp, winning 33% of the vote and 20 seats on the 55-seat council. In the most recent national elections, held on 18 May 2003 Vlaams Blok won 11.6% of the vote and 18 seats in the 150-seat Kamer. Despite these successes, Vlaams Blok has no experience of government as other parties, forming a ‘cordon sanitaire’, refuse to co-operate with it.
Party Leader: Frank Vanhecke
Address: Madouplein 8 bus 9, 1210 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: (0)2 219–60–09
Fax: (0)2 217–52–75
E-mail: info@vlaamsblok.be
Internet: www.vlaamsblok.be
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