Flemish politicians react with outrage about racist statements
The racist, sexist and anti-Semitic statements made by the Flemish organisation "Schild & Vrienden" have caused outrage and disapproval in the political world in Flanders.
Wouter Beke the president of the Christian Democratic Party reacted on Twitter : "We could laugh about it. We could sweep it away as an act of stupidity. But that would be minimising. This is something that must worry us. Not my Flanders."
"No respect for those who think otherwise, women, people of colour… Dreaming of big arms and showing off with guns. Laughing at dying babies and then having Western values in your mouth? It is a kind of shield and friends that no one needs," said Zuhal Demir, Secretary of State for Equal Opportunities.
"Last night, I saw some horrible things. It is not my Flanders and it is not my values," added Theo Francken, Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, again on Twitter.
"It must not remain without consequences," reacted president of the Green party Meyrem Almaci. The liberal president Gwendolyn Rutten (Open Vld) joined her call: "Fascism threatens right down to the heart of the university and the youth council. It can't be without consequence. Act with all possible legal means," she tweeted.
This avalanche of reactions follows the VRT report on "Schild & Vrienden". In the light of the discussions held in chat groups infiltrated by the Flemish channel's Pano magazine, the conservative movement appears racist, sexist and anti-Semitic.