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You are here: Home News Belgian News Vlaams Belang supremo to lose parliamentary immunity?

11/04/2008Vlaams Belang supremo to lose parliamentary immunity?

Justice minister has requested immunity to be lifted so prosecution against Vanhecke can proceed.

11 April 2008

BELGIUM - Belgian justice minister Jo Vandeurzen of the Flemish Christian democrat party has asked the president of the European Parliament to lift the parliamentary immunity of the Flemish Euro MP Frank Vanhecke.

Vanhecke is a former leader of the far right Vlaams Belang party, the successor of Vlaams Blok.

The justice minister says the lifting of the parliamentary immunity is necessary to allow a prosecution to proceed.

Vanhecke stands accused of racism. In 2005, the mayor of Sint-Niklaas Freddy Willockx filed a complaint against the local party of Vlaams Belang in his town. In a leaflet the party had linked an act of vandalism to the presence of members of the ethnic minorities in Sint-Niklaas.

Vanhecke was responsible in law for this publication. If convicted under Belgian anti-racism legislation, Vanhecke could lose his seat in the European Parliament as well as his right to be active in politics.

The procedure to lift a member's parliamentary immunity could take a long time in the European Parliament. Both the Justice Committee and a plenary session of Parliament have to vote on the matter.

Vanhecke is astounded by the move. He says usually the author is quizzed first and not the responsible publisher.

[flandersenews.be / Expatica]

1 reaction to this article

albrecht posted: 13-04-2008 | 11:25 PM

This will fall upon deaf-ears, obviously, but firstly why are certain beliefs illegal, however dispicable? And why should one not be allowed to speak his mind regardless of the offensive nature of the thought? Obviously if there was a slander involved or an actual act of violence or harm to an individual there would be concrete reasons for hauling the person in question before the court. Prosecute real crimes with real damages but allow freedom of conscience and belief. Islamic immigrants are allowed to hate just about everyone but a European, and a citizen and Belgian national, and one elected by others, can't think, or speak, anymore without fear of reprisals. Do we live in an Orwell novel? Maybe the government should publish an appropriate list of all thoughts, beliefs, religion, politics, and opinions that we may be allowed to express lest we get arrested, fined, or worse!?

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