Sunday, October 28, 2007

Vlaams Belang: Freedom Fighters

Diana West has an essay on her blog concerning the recent controversy over Vlaams Belang. Here’s part of what she had to say:

Whenever a hero in a plot needs a villain, there always seems to be a Nazi lurking. Where German Nazis don’t work, there are South American Nazis. Where South American Nazis won’t do, there are South African Nazis. Where South African Nazis stretch our credulity there are Religious Right Nazis. From Tom Clancy to Indiana Jones, Nazis are forever.

And now, even as our liberties are no longer threatened by Communism and we face a new threat from Islam, we still seem to have Nazis on the brain. Our liberties are contracting every day in the face of expansionist Islam, but it is still the specter of Nazism that distracts us — some of us, anyway.
- - - - - - - - -
I refer to the very upsetting and undeserved Internet attacks — mainly being lent credence by the blog Little Green Footballs — on Vlaams Belang, the Flemish secessionist party in Belgium. The attacks allege that Vlaams Belang has ties and allegiance to Nazi-type ideologies and organizations. I find these attacks both sloppy and unconvincing. Vlaams Belang is not only the most stalwart, resolutely anti-jihad party in Europe that I know of, but also — and, not at all incidentally — the most pro-Israel party in Europe that I know of. In other words, it is ridiculous to suggest that they are Nazis — neo-, South American, Religious Right, or Other.

Indeed, it is crucial to understand that Vlaams Belang’s political opponents in Europe are the Islamo-Socialist Left, which is where vicious anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism now finds its ideological home. Vlaams Belang is fighting, virtually alone, the Islamization of Europe. For that they deserve both our gratitude and our support.


Hat tip: Fjordman.

17 comments:

Homophobic Horse said...

Charles has ultimately done us some good with those posts if it forces us to ensure zero-tolerance for Nazism.

kepiblanc said...

Charles Johnson's blog "Little Green Footballs" is an archetypical American blog. Charles and his commenters seem to know American politics extremely well, but know next to nothing about Europe. The standard outcry is "Europe is doomed" whenever some stupid Eurocrat appears in theater. From time to time this mantra even looks like the wishful thinking and wet dreams of many Americans. And suddenly Charles and most of the commenters have gone into full moonbat mode, seeing ghosts and specters everywhere, especially in Vlaams Belang and Sverigesdemokraterna. thus labeling them "white supremacists" and even "Nazis".
To me it seems that Charles is hoisting his flag of purity and innocence so high that his feet can't reach the ground anymore. And of course the Muslim organisations such as CAIR noticed and haven't hesitated to exploit this controversy.
From a European point of view Charles maybe factual right. Those parties originated as "Vlaams Blok" and "Swedish Front" (I think) respectively, but have freed themselves of the past many years ago - not only in names. The same goes for many other European parties, for example the Danish People's Party which originated as a split-off from Fremskridtpartiet, a protest-party of ignorant fools. Even if we look upon mainstream political parties we can ask "let he who is clean throw the first stone". This means that if we insist on cooperation with absolutely 100 percent clean saints only we will be pretty much alone in politics. Then we can carry on sitting late nights in our clean cells with our shiny computers and blog to each other about the horrors of Islam while the Muslims riot the streets and gradually take over our civilisation. In that case I'm afraid that even Charles Johnson's blog has a very limited timespan ahead.
Meanwhile the resistance is growing all over Europe. That fact was illustrated perfectly at the Brussels Counter-Jihad Conference so generously hosted by Vlaams Belang and some very fine - and realistic - Americans from CVF. Right in "The Belly of the Beast" - the EU Parliament. Most reports from 15 European nations gave hope and confidence. And recent elections in France, Germany and Switzerland underscores the trend. Mid-November we will have general elections here in Denmark too, and - once again - immigration and Islam will be top issues. As I have said over on Little Green Footballs thread there is no racism whatsoever in Denmark so we can safely vote for our most anti-Muslim and pro-Israel party, the Danish People's Party. I am absolutely confident that the same is valid for the Flemings and Vlaams Belang. No matter what the theorists over at "Little Green Footballs" think.

Fellow Peacekeeper said...

"...ensure zero-tolerance for Nazism."
Nazism? As in the virulently totalitarian and exclusively ethnic German NSDAP organization lead by Adolf Hitler? Hard to see how it is relevant to modern politics, since that has not existed for more than 60 years. Except that leftists have effectively used it as a nigh universal bugbear for decades.

If Charles has done a service it is to clearly expose the essentially leftist thinking embedded among "conservatives". Now comes a rain of attacks on the BNP and "ŗascist" Nick Griffith. Sad to see Hot Air jump on this bandwagon. Damn fools.

As well as CS, see the ever effective Auster on this matter.

Unknown said...

As an American, I'm not very familiar with the intricacies of European politics and political parties. I'm not familiar with Vlaams Belang, so I have to do more research on them to fully understand what they are.

With that said, I want to make a more general comment. Although I agree that Islamists that seek to impose their belief system on others should be opposed, I do not think it should be done blindly. Therefore, I believe it is important to make sure that the groups I decide to align with are not bad groups with bad intentions. Based on that assumption, I personally do not think it makes sense to align with groups that are based on an ideology of racial separatism.

I don't know if VB or the Swedish Democrats are groups based on an ideology of racial separatism. But if they are, I would oppose them. Honestly, I think it's as simple as that.

X said...

They aren't.

It's simple as that. :)

Dymphna said...

nms--

It's very time-consuming to get up to speed on politics in the individual countries in Europe.

We are blessed with having a number of guest writers from the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Eastern Europe, Italy, and the Netherlands...I've probably left someone out.

We also have a team of volunteer translators who are willing to carry out the due diligence required to keep us informed when news articles appear in other languages. These people range in age from a teenager to someone on the other side of 70.

They are generous with their time, but some of them, understandly, grow tired of Americans' tendency to put a US template over whatever information they manage to glean about things on the European continent.

Heck, we don't even understand Canada very well, and they rightfully resent it. There is a kind of arrogance in our willful ignorance sometimes.

When I read American attitudes toward countries in Europe, I am surprised at the dismissive attitude -- as though they were backward and who needs them anyway. What most of us fail to understand is that were Europe to disappear down the black hole, the next thing we in America would hear would be the ugly swishing sound as we followed them into the blackness.

No nation can stand alone, though China would like to. Many people in Europe *have* studied us and don't like what they see. Others are more objective and realize how interdependent our destinies are. Fjordman is one of those.

America is fortunate that English is the ligua franca of Europe --well, Northern and Western Europe anyway. The further south you go the less that seems to be true. But this is not commutative: Americans do not know foreign languages so we can't so easily break through our barrier of ignorance unless we find a helpful soul to tell us what something says.

Here's a quick way to begin to get up to snuff: go to Café Press and get one of the Baron's new calendars for 2008. Twelve countries are represented, with the URLS for anti-jihad blogs in each country listed on their respective page:

Counterjihad Calendar 2008

It's cheaper than a book, and you'll learn alot about Europe at your own pace.

And here is the Café Press page for the calendar.

I also recommend, in the case of things Belgian, Paul Belien's book, A Throne in Brusels*. It's the definitve book on Belgium; makes you realize how internecine the scramble for the formation of artifical states was...and is. No wonder Flanders wants to secede from an artificial and corrupt "state." Of course, the Walloons will never let them because the Flemish are hard-working and thus better off than the Walloons, who are much more dependent on welfare entitlements. Three guesses who pays for those entitlements. Hint: it's not the Walloons.

Meanwhile, the Middle East is largely one big artifact -- the French and English (and Germans, I think)just drew lines in the sand and handed out property. It's too bad that they gave the Hashemite kingdom Jordan and parceling out what is now called "Saudi Arabia" to that group of inbred, corrupt, murderers known as the Saud family. Had they not done that, we might not have had this war.

OTOH, whoever got the oil would've been difficult to deal with -- they just wouldn't be exporting Wahhabist brand Islam all over the world. Lord Acton was right: "absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Hindsight is easy and heaven knows, countries in Europe are paying dearly for their leaders' lack of foresight.
________________
*Even with the deep discount Amazon gives, this is not a cheap book. I remember now that I used my Amazon coupons to buy it. I will ask Mr. Belien if there is any chance of this coming out in paperback, since the imprint on the book is a small academic press, so they have to charge more.
______________

Thirty lashes: I've broken my own rule about not making long comments.

Dymphna said...

homophobic (my, you do believe in hit-em-over-the-head nics, hmm?)

I agree with your view. The brouhaha surrounding LGF's views will serve as a catalyst in helping us understand that we don't even know *what* we don't know...ignorance is a dark place where we trip over the furniture.

JD said...

kepiblanc, you are inaccurate. At LGF we are just trying to figure out who's who. VB would do well to distance itsself from white power movements if it ever wants any broad based support out of the United States. An anti jihad emphasis would be fine.

There are very few people in the United States that want to support any European party and find out later it was a "hate" organizaton.

We do realize that the doltish European leftist throw the epithet Nazi and Fascist at perfectly well meaning people to stiffle dissent.

In my opinion those parties should be the first ones inspected for thuggery.

Just take any country, and tell me who is who.

The discussion at LGF is an important one as people are working to define their knowledge of Europan politics.

You comments about "Europe is doomed' you take from one commenter and apply to a whole blog that is arguing intensely about these issues. I get more of a sense that you are projecting yourself here and you yourself think Europe is doomed. Which is why you highlight it.

John Trenchard said...

It's somewhat bizarre as to why LGF has suddenly taken an interest in the politics of tiny Flanders. very odd. i mean, does what happens in Flander really THAT important in the bigger scheme of things?

atheling2 said...

john trenchard:

Where have you been? Didn't you hear about the 9/11 demonstration this year in Brussels, where the police brutalized the protesters, among whom were members of Vlaams Belang?

This brutality (and there are shocking photos in support) gives conclusive evidence that:

1. There is no free speech in parts of Western Europe.

2. The Socialist government in Brussels is fascist-like (i.e. the Mayor).

3. Any protest of Europe's Islamization is violently repressed.

4. What happens to the Flemish is a microcosm of what is happening in Europe (and what CAN happen in the USA if we are not vigilant).

Remember the powderkeg in Europe before WWI? We are seeing that happen again...

Félicie said...

"The discussion at LGF is an important one as people are working to define their knowledge of Europan politics."

It has long stopped being a rational discussion and has become a witch hunt by a lynching mob. The majority has ganged up on the few who have a dissenting point of view. The atmosphere os that of bullying and outright insults with a lot of racist anti-European statements thrown into the mix. Very ironic, since the people who made them sound very self-righteous about the others' alleged racism

Dymphna said...

John Trenchard--

A very trenchant question. I think it was because individuals in Vlaams Belang came to the October 18th meeting in Brussels.
_____________
And of course we had seen what the mayour of Brussels had the Walloon police goons do on 9/11.

I will never forget the picture of the grey-haired man with that large, gloved hand over his mouth while his hands were cuffed and another policeman had both of *his* arms forced thru the curve the victim's cuffed hands made. He was obviously lifting the man off his feet and pushing forward, causing an unnatural pressure on teh man's spine

And that's not as brutal as the one of the crotch grabof a VB leader by the Wallons.

These people were targetted deliberately by the mayor, and he used the emnity between the Walloons and Flemish to subdue the demonstators.

Just go to the top of our blog and use the "Search Blog" window to type in 9/11 Demonstation Brussels. There are videos, pictures, and more than you want to know in terms of deliberate brutality. Truly awful...

...these weren't rag tag people who were attacked, these were members of the EU parliament and the Brussels pariament. Can you imagine the mayor of D.C. doing that to our Congress? I can't either.

At the time, I was too busy posting and reading about the situation to notice that LGF ignored the story entirely. I think beforehand he did have a short post that the Brussels mayor turned the group down for a permit. Of course, the mayor permitted a previous Islamist demonstration...

I went back to Charles' archives last week and was puzzled as to why he hadn't any mention of this travesty. Charles specializes in short, pithy posts with good images. Not a word. And that seemed odd to me.

If you look at the photo or video of the crotch grab of a Flemish leader, it makes you wince to see it.

Exile said...

JD...
Tell me please, just what "white power movements" are you refering to?
I don't think we have any to speak of. We never had the KKK here.

Vlaams Belang is a party formed out of the old Vlaams Bloc, which was forbidden to exist by the Belgian parliament. (How's that for democracy?) It cleansed itself of those that formed the original party which grew from the men of Flanders that joined the Germans during WWII, believing they could free Flanders from Belgium.

Vlaams Belang is hoping for a free Flanders. It is also anti-islamic, in that it is fighting islamisation, not muslims.

If Belgium splits, being the model for European multiculturalism, then it holds the promise that we may be able to split the EU.

Something I would dearly love to see.

Also, VB is not alone in its anti-islamisation campaign.
Never heard of SIOE? It's growing fast.
Google it and see.

As for Kepi.. I think he nailed it.

Dymphna said...

jd said to kepi blanc:

I get more of a sense that you are projecting yourself here and you yourself think Europe is doomed. Which is why you highlight it.

jd, are you qualified to comment on the putative "projections" of a person you don't know?

In fact, *what* information do you have -- besides your own singularly astonishing opinion -- on kepi blanc or his motives?

You have a dug a deep hole with this remark. I suggest that (1) you stop digging before the walls collapse, and (2) that you ask kepi blanc about his background.

This is the kind of bruising oneself by jumping to conclusions that give people a reputation for being reactive.

Do you even know what "kepi blanc" means? Do you know why he chose that nic? This would be a good place for an open-minded person to begin.

When you said you yourself think Europe is doomed, I was embarrassed for you...for myself, I've never been adroit at walking around on one foot while the other is in my mouth, though I've had the unhappy misfortune of being forced into that position.

And that is clearly your stance at the moment, given that you wrote this bit of psychological motivation about someone you don't know who has lived and fought in many places you also don't know.

kepiblanc said...

JD, the infamous comment "Europe is doomed" is a recurrent one over at LGF. I have on many occasions posted about it, mainly out of irritation. I have tried to inform the LGF'ers that Europe is many things, from completely dhimmified states such as Sweden to outright "islamophobic" ones, such as Denmark. To be fair, when I have done so the response has mostly been positive and apologetic. No doubt the LGF'ers are fine and knowledgeable people, only sometimes a bit fast on the comment-trigger. But this time Charles has really lost it. What a shame.

Unknown said...

Well, I must say I have said Europe is doomed quite a few times..And as we all know the opinions from europeans you read on sites like these aren't mainstream by a longshot, and the parties that focus on the islamization of Europe still have to contend with the kind of pejorative epithets of which 'extreme rightist' is one of the soberer.
Furthermore, the attempts of the multicultural left to take back the initiative are unabating; it seems the dispute is not going to be won by intellectual argument resulting in some amount of persuasion, but by social sparring...

I can very well understand how a lot of Americans might be incensed with Europeans; the amount of animosity and unfair criticism, the downright denial of cultural kinship and the lack of loyalty are very shameful; I would be angry.
I'd probably feel as Stephen Browne wrote on his Rants and Raves blog, that 'if they think we are sending our boys over a third time to save their sorry asses, they'd better think again'

X said...

Well I'd Argue that, if Europe really is doomed, then it may well be because of people like Charles, as much as our own "leaders", sniping at anyone who tried to fight back against the problems we face over here and who doesn't fit the Doomed narrative. This debacle with LGF calling Vlaams Belaang and other related parties Nazi is just the latest example of something that I've noticed for a while amongst the neo-con groups. Neo-cons are very often leftists mugged by reality, but they seem to retain a lot of the leftist dogma even as the shift to the political right, which means that presentation and narrative remain a large part of how they perceive the world - and, indeed, perception remains at the forefront of their activity; witness Charles' concern, verging on obsession, with his "reputation" on the web. The "Europe is doomed" narrative is no less silly than the old leftist "Europe is paradise" narrative, and in a large way it's a sign that those people have realised how daft that old narrative really was. Unfortunately they then swing right over in the other direction...

The result is that anyone who fights back gets shafted because they're refusing to stick to the narrative. The power of the narrative in the minds of those who follow it then forces them to try and bring things back on track, through fair means or foul, ultimately making it into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In fact it reminds me of modern Christian concept of the anti-christ and the rapture (a concept that was not even heard of before the late 19th century). In the 70s it was decided that the soviet union was the anti christ (and it was a fairly good candidate if you're in to that sort of thing) and that the end of the world was obviously coming soon. I read a fairly good anecdote concerning this. Two christians are discussing the soviet union, when one mentions that he's going in to Eastern Europe to start ministering and setting up churches. The other turns to him and asks why he would do that, when the soviets are so obviously a sign of the end times. "You should find somewhere to hide, the Lord is coming soon, and before he does the soviets will rule the earth and execute anyone who doesn't follow their system."
The first man turns to his companion. "Communism is a failed system," he says, and then goes on. "I see a day when the soviet union will collapse, and I intend to have a network of churches ready to provide support and comfort for those people."
"You're wasting your time," his friend replies, and then they part ways. The pastor - I can't remember his name now - went into Eastern europe and set up his churches, and when the soviet union collapsed he was ready to help people get through the painful transition and probably saved hundreds, possibly thousands of lives. The other man never did anything and is still sitting around waiting for Jesus to come back.

Maybe it's just a story, but it's demonstrative of a wider truth. We can all sit here saying "Europe is doomed" and then shooting down anyone who tries to fight back, making our prophecy true in a terribly ironic way, or we can join the fight in whatever way we're able and encourage those who are trying to actively resist the threat. The Baron and Dymphna are doing the latter. Most people who post here are doing the latter.

They don't give a damn about narratives, they just want to save people.

People like those at LGF just want to prove how pure they are; they are becoming no better than the people we're trying to save ourselves from, demanding that we submit to their narrative, their idea that Europe is doomed and unsaveable. People of that calibre fight anyone who doesn't submit, defame their purity of purpose and call them names. Idealogical purity is what got us in to this mess, it is definitely not going to get us out of it.