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Flanders Wants to Preserve Its Heartland
05/01/2008 :: Brussels, the capital of Europe as well as Belgium and Flanders, is an enclave within Dutch-speaking Flanders. The city used to be Flemish, but during the 19th and 20th centuries the Belgian authorities imposed French on the population in an effort to replace Dutch by French and transform Brussels from a Flemish into a French-speaking city. They were successful to the extent that today the majority of the Belgian citizens in the city speak French rather than Dutch. Half of the Brussels population, however, is no longer Belgian but foreign. Many are Europeans, others are Muslims of North African or Turkish origin, who also prefer French to Dutch. The result is that only 15% of the population still speaks the city’s original language.
The islamification of Brussels is driving many Belgians out of the city. Frenchspeaking Belgians who used to live in Brussels are settling in the surrounding Flemish countryside of the province of Brabant. In order to safeguard the Flemish character of Brabant, the Flemish regional authorities request that newcomers adapt to the Dutch-speaking people living there. The newcomers are welcome if they respect the Flemish character of the region.
Human Rights
To facilitate this the Flemish government offers free Dutch language courses. The Flemish government requests people who are given social housing by the Flemish authorities to speak Dutch or be willing to learn this. Is this an unreasonable demand? The Vlaams Belang does not think so, but the Human Rights League (HRL), a non-profit organisation funded by the Belgian authorities, does. The courts, including the Belgian Council of State, the country’s highest administrative court, upheld the Flemish government’s position, but the HRL brought the matter before the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). This institute expressed its concern about the demand to learn the language of the region where they settle and want to live. It's not the first time international organisations such as the Council of Europe or the United Nations are abused for domestic policy goals.
Article in issue nº 22
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