You Want Justice? Speak French!

As has been widely noted, the mayor of Brussels, Mr. Freddy Thielemans, has denied a permit for the 9-11 demonstration in his city.

The demonstrators are gathering to Stop the Islamization of Europe, and, as a result, Mayor Thielemans cannot guarantee their safety from violence at the hands of the city’s Muslims.

Kind of proves their point, doesn’t it?

SIOE, the organizer of the demonstration, filed an appeal against the mayor’s decision with the Belgian Council of State. The organizers expected delay and obstruction, and they were not surprised. Here’s the latest from Paul Belien at Brussels Journal:

Belgium’s highest administrative court, the Council of State, is not expected to rule soon in the case of the anti-Islamization demonstration planned for 11 September. Two weeks ago Freddy Thielemans, the Socialist mayor of Brussels, banned the demonstration because, as he said, “the organizers have chosen the symbolic date of 9/11. The intention is obviously to confound the terrorist activities of Muslim extremists on the one hand and Islam as a religion and all Muslims on the other hand. […] Such incitement to discrimination and hatred, which we usually call racism and xenophobia, is forbidden by a considerable number of international treaties and is punished by our penal laws and by the European legislation.”

The organizers decided to appeal against the ban before the Council of State. Today, the Council of State decided to postpone its verdict until it has decided whether or not the appeal, which was presented in Dutch, one of Belgium’s two official languages, should have been presented in French, Belgium’s other official language.

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When Udo Ulfkotte, the German organizer of the demonstration, filed his initial request for the demo he was told by the mayor’s office that he had to do so in French, which he did. Ulfkotte told us that, being a foreigner, he was not aware that he could also opt for a Dutch-language procedure. Now the Brussels authorities demand that he should stick to French and that the case should be brought before French-speaking judges of the Council of State. Dutch-speaking (Flemish) judges are more favourably inclined towards defending political freedoms than French-speaking (Walloon) judges. The Council of State judges are political appointees. Flanders, the Dutch-speaking north of Belgium, is free-market oriented while Wallonia, the French-speaking south of the country, is Socialist-dominated.

Now the official strategy becomes clear: route the appeal into the socialist French-speaking part of the state apparatus, where sneering contempt of the Flemish-speaking majority is the norm.

Go over to Brussels Journal to read the rest. Mr. Belien speculates that the authorities may decide the case as late as September 10th, leaving the organizers just one day to prepare for event.

However, the word through the grapevine is that people all over Europe are not waiting for the official decision; they’re already making their arrangements.

Paul Belien's conclusion:

However, whether or not the demonstration will be permitted, Europeans who oppose the islamization of their continent will convene on Tuesday 11 September at 12 am (noon) at the Schuman Square (Rond-Point Schuman), in front of the Berlaymont building, the headquarters of the European Commission, to hold one minute of silence for the victims of 9/11/2001.

And, as Exile says:

Those of us that are intent on being in Brussels will be there anyway. They will not stop us and they will not hinder us in our protest. We will have the final word on the day. Whether they like it, or not.

We don’t need no stinkin’ Council of State!