Welcome to The Flemish Republic
Why the Belgian federation should be dissolved and Flanders should become an independent state. |
|
 Articles
Police Violence: Vlaams Belang Vindicated
05/25/2009 :: On September 11, 2007, the Brussels police broke up a peaceful gathering of people who had convened to hold one minute of silence for the victims of the 2001 9/11 terror attacks in America. Several Vlaams Belang politicians were beaten, handcuffed, arrested and locked up for the remainder of the day in the prison cells in the cellars of the Brussels Palace of Justice. During the incidents, Frank Vanhecke, a VB member of the European Parliament, was grabbed in the genitals by police officers, Filip Dewinter, the VB group leader in the Flemish Parliament, was arrested and beaten up while giving an interview to journalists, and Linda Vissers, a VB member of the Belgian House of Representatives, was forced to take off her bra in front of the prison wardens, allegedly to prevent her from “hanging herself with her bra while in prison.”
On April 29, 2009, the “Committee P,” the committee which controls the police forces on behalf of the Belgian federal parliament, issued a report which condemned the “unnecessary and excessive use of police force and violence” on September 11, 2007.
Unlikely
The Committee P report criticizes Freddy Thielemans, the Socialist mayor of Brussels, who told the police to break up the demonstration and ordered the officers to keep “on the offensive.” It also criticizes the decision to use French-speaking officers, who gave orders exclusively in French while most of the demonstrators were known to be Dutch-speaking Flemings. Regarding the order to female prisoners to remove their bras, Committee P said this was inappropriate, but had been “a personal mistake by one of the female police officers.”
Though the Vlaams Belang feels vindicated by the report, the party regrets that no disciplinary measures will be taken against Mayor Thielemans and the Brussels chief of police. The officers who submitted Mr. Vanhecke to a vicious genital grip have not been punished either.
Intimidation
The extremely aggressive behaviour of the police, who deliberately humiliated peaceful demonstrators, including elected officials, on September 11, 2007, was designed to intimidate VB members in the exercise of their democratic rights, such as the right to demonstrate. Filip De Man, a VB member of the Home Affairs committee of the Belgian House of Representatives, regrets that the Committee P cannot guarantee that the Belgian authorities will allow citizens to demonstrate peacefully in the future.
Immediately after the incidents on September 11, 2007, the Belgian government apologized to Italy for the maltreatment of Mario Borghezio, an Italian member of the European Parliament who was arrested together with Mr. Vanhecke. It is indicative that the government is still refusing to apologize to Mr. Vanhecke and other Belgian citizens who were molested on the same day.
Article in issue nº 26
Previous page
|
|
|
