Nation
PresidentHervé Van Laethem[1]
Vice-presidentSalvatore Russo[1]
Founded9 August 1999 (1999-08-09)
NewspaperNATION-Info
Youth wingYoung NATION
Ideology
Political positionFar-right
European affiliationAlliance for Peace and Freedom
Colours  Red
  Black
Chamber of Representatives
(French-speaking seats)
0 / 61
European Parliament
(French-speaking seats)
0 / 8
Party flag
Website
https://www.nation.be

The NATION Movement (or NATION), is a Belgian far-right political party founded on 9 August 1999, by nationalist politician Hervé Van Laethem in Belgium.[2] The party is part of the larger far-right and right-wing populist movement in Belgium and has also been involved in the Yellow vests movement.

NATION maintains a YouTube channel, Télé NATION Info, where they broadcast rallies, protests, interviews and other content relating to the party.[3]

Nation anti-immigrant rally, 2017

History

On 9 August 1999 Van Laethem, along with two other individuals, formed the non-proft association Mouvement pour la Nation. The aim of this was, the dissemination and defence of nationalist ideas.[2] The association developed into a political party, and in a general meeting on 28 September 2008 it was decided to dissolve the association with NATION only existing as a fully fledged party.[4]

In 2015 the party was a founding member of the far-right Alliance for Peace and Freedom European political party. The group, which also includes the Italian New Force and National Democratic Party of Germany, wishes to organise nationalist parties across the continent that are staunchly opposed to the European Union.

On 12 January 2019 the far-right[5] New Alternative Wallonia (NAW) party merged with NATION. NAW President Salvatore Russo was made Vice President of NATION.[6]

Protests and actions

When it was announced that Michelle Martin, accomplice of her husband's crimes of child molestation and murder, would be released from prison before her sentence was completed NATION took part in the numerous protests.[7] Television station, RTL-TVI, reported that members of NATION had been visiting Halal shops wearing pig masks, however it was never confirmed that they were members of NATION.

It has been reported that Molenbeek-Saint-Jean is a safe haven for jihadists in relation to the support shown by some residents towards bombers who carried out the Paris and Brussels attacks.[8] In response to this NATION organised a protest against then Socialist mayor, Philippe Moureaux. The party claims that Moureaux's due to his views and policies was responsible for a wave of terror attacks. Members of the party dumped manure outside of Moureaux's home.[9]

NATION was involved in controversy when on 23 July 2016 members of the party burned the flag of the Islamic State at a medieval festival being held in the Bouillon Castle.[10]

Belgian Yellow Vest Movement

Since the Yellow vests movement began in 2019 NATION have organised and partaken in similar Belgian based protests.[11] In 2019, the president of the movement, Hervé Van Laethem, registered the trademark Yellow Vests from the Office of Benelux for Intellectual Property, justifying himself by saying it was in order to "prevent the term 'Yellow Vests' from being used any which way by anyone, especially in the context of the elections".[12] NATION claims to be fully committed to supporting the Yellow Vest movement and blames liberal capitalism and Marxist socialism for causing civil unrest and societal issues.[13]

Ideology

The party advocates: solidarism, the rejection of Islam, the opposition to immigration, and the defense of "European identity and civilization as well as its millennial culture by advocating "remigration".[14] Through the party's official newspaper, NATION-Info, the party has supported revolutionary nationalism.

Electoral results

Chamber of Representatives

Election year # of overall votes  % of overall vote # of overall seats won # of language
group seats won		 +/– Notes
2014 10,216[15] 0.15
0 / 150
0 / 62
 Steady 0 in opposition
2019 10,583[15] 0.16
0 / 150
0 / 62
 Steady 0 in opposition

Walloon Parliament

Election year # of overall votes  % of overall vote # of overall seats won +/– Notes
2014 10,839[16] 0.53
0 / 75
 Steady 0 in opposition
2019 9,649[16] 0.47
0 / 75
 Steady 0 in opposition

Brussels Parliament

Election year # of overall votes  % of overall vote # of overall seats won +/– Notes
2014 1,360[17] 0.33
0 / 89
 Steady 0 in opposition

References

  1. 1 2 "LA DIRECTION – NATION" (in French). 30 July 2018. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  2. 1 2 "Annexe au Moniteur belge du 6 janvier 2000 | Associations sans but lucratif" (PDF). Belgian official journal.
  3. ↑ "Télé NATION Info". YouTube.
  4. ↑ "Annexes du Moniteur belge" (PDF). Belgian official journal.
  5. ↑ "Nouvelle Wallonie Alternative (NWA) — Europe Politique". www.europe-politique.eu. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  6. ↑ dit, Alpha-Bravo (14 January 2019). "Plus d'unité chez les patriotes : la NWA fusionne avec NATION ! – NATION" (in French). Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  7. ↑ "Laurent Louis manifeste à Malonne contre Michelle Martin - lesoir.be". 8 August 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-08-08. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  8. ↑ "Brussels attacks: Molenbeek's gangster jihadists". BBC News. 24 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "Le groupe d'extrême droite NATION s'en prend aux domiciles privés de Philippe Moureaux (photos)". sudinfo.be. 22 November 2015.
  10. ↑ "Bouillon: la fête médiévale sous très haute surveillance cette année". sudinfo.be. 2 August 2016.
  11. ↑ Télé NATION Info (2018-11-30), Bruxelles, 30 novembre 2018: NATION aux côtés des Gilets Jaunes, retrieved 2019-06-11
  12. ↑ "La marque "Gilets Jaunes" déposée par Nation, une récupération comme une autre?". RTBF Info. 14 January 2019.
  13. ↑ "GILETS JAUNES – NATION". nation.be. 24 February 2019.
  14. ↑ Dohet, Julien (6 February 2018). "Comment l'extrême droite belge francophone communique-t-elle sur la toile ?" (PDF). ihoes.be (in French). Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  15. 1 2 "Résultats chiffrés(1) - Elections 2019". elections2019.belgium.be.
  16. 1 2 "Résultats chiffrés(1) - Elections 2019". elections2019.belgium.be.
  17. ↑ "Résultats chiffrés(1) - Elections 2019". elections2019.belgium.be.
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