Why from Wever and Flemish nationalists are fascinated by the Netherlands

Flemish nationalists, Bart de Wever in mind, have always been fascinated by the Netherlands. The symbol of Grande-Déléland is still very much alive in flamingos.

Nothing like a national holiday To proclaim his attachment to another nation.

On July 21, 2021, then chief of the federal opposition and president of the N-VA, Bart De Wever had recalled his ultimate goal, sometimes unknown, a objective in reality less independence than attachist. “In 1993, I was already co-organizer of a student conference in the Grand Netherlands. I have never abandoned this dream: that all Dutch speakers one day live together. […] The ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam could merge to become the gateway to the economy of North West Europe. It looks like a fantastic story […]. If I could die as a southern Dutchman, I would die happier than as Belgian “, He said to our colleagues Trends Z.

Four years later almost to the day, new Prime Minister, the Antwerp would reiterate this oath called “Thiois” (Dietsche in Flemish, diets in Dutch) emergenceissued all the more private as the wife of Bart de Wever is Dutch. “It is a position that I can no longer do as Prime Minister. But as a man and as a politician, I haven’t changed my mind. I stay convinced that the separation of the great Netherlands, in the 16the centuryis the greatest disaster that has arrived at us, ”he had repeated to Dutch public radio when he went to The Hague, at the top of NATO. Invited for the occasion to a state banquet, he signed the golden book of an old Dicton Thio: Here and on the other side, there and here is the Netherlands (Here and on the other side, there and here, these are the Netherlands). A few centimeters below, his colleague, comrade and friend Theo Francken inscribed a quote dated 1580 from Guillaume d’Orange, known as “the taciturn”, stat holder of the Netherlands.

A few days later, so as not to apologize for refusing to say “Long live Belgium” On the day of his national holiday, the Minister of Defense concluded his press releases, in French and Dutch, by a motto in French Reveére des Dutch: “I will maintain”, motto of Orange-Nassau’s house For centuries and the Netherlands since 1815, at the time of the other Guillaume d’Orange, distant successor of the previous one and Especially sovereign hated by future Belgians, who seceded in 1830. The regularity of these outings excludes any nonchalance on the part of the two greatest current figures of Flemish independence. Flemish nationalism is not always independentist, but very often attachist, and as well at the N-VA as at the Vlaams Belang There is a Thiis current. This is part of an “invented tradition”, as the British historian said Eric Hobsbawm of all nationalisms.

It has been a long time since unhappy Flemings dream in Happy Dutch.

An old tradition

A tradition, because it does Long that Flemings Unhappy dreams in happy Dutch. The whole Flemish movement was crossed by this utopia, even in its less glorious figures. The “di” of the Verdinaso (Verbond van Dietsche Nationaal Solidisten-Mouvement des nationales Solidaristes Thiois) of Joris Van Severen explicitly included this Grande-Déléland projectlike the VNV under Staf de Clercq and like many of the most radical elements collaborationist of the Second World War, but not all. They were disappointed during the conflict, because The Nazi occupier refused all autonomy both in Flanders and in the Netherlandsand a fortiori at the hypothetical meeting of the two. And they were defeated and repressed afterwards, because this refusal did not brake their collaboration.

“Historically, there is a Thioi tradition in the Flemish movement, especially in the interwar period and the 1930s. But even at that time, and including during the warthe Flemings and the Dutch supporters of the Union Thioi have never maintained operational relations. He was always theory, much less practice“, underlines Bruno De Weverthe story (coal) you mouvement flamand.

An old invention

This tradition is largely invented since there was, between the Flemish provinces of Belgium and future Netherlands, so many fractures bloody only peaceful unions. In 1585, the Catholic troops of Alexandre Farnèse took Antwerp, where the thousands of Protestantsallies to the Union of Utrecht of the Dutch provinces. It is the end of the siege of Antwerp, and also that of a certain idea of the Burgundian “seventeen provinces”. Only Catholics or those who will convert within four years will be allowed to stay in the City of the SCALDEENNE. The others, those who have not been massacred, merchants, craftsmen, humanists, doctors, flee. Many will settle in Amsterdam, and will be at the origin of the maritime and commercial power of the United Provinces, Protestants, released from the Spanish supervision, and which will impose a blockade on the Escaut estuary, asphyxiating the port of Antwerp for the benefit of Amsterdam. It was therefore these species of former Belgians who made the Dutchand enriched the Netherlands, by expelling, starting from current Belgium, several hundred thousand Protestants. Antwerp, since then, it is said, more, more from our north neighbors. This is where each year the very antagonistic derbys were organized between red devils and “oranje” for a large part of the XXe century. “After its release of July 21, 2021, Bart de Wever explained that he had never received so many unhappy Antwerp e-mails“Says Dave Sinardet, Antwerp and political scientist at VUB.

In 1830, those in the secessionist provinces ranked under the motto “I will maintain” and oppose Belgian independenceare called “Orangistes”. They are especially French -speaking, the most illustrious of which is John Cockerill. But also in Flanders, where liberal manufacturers, mostly French -speaking, of major cities fear losing the outlets offered to them by Dutch trade. But one of the founding fathers of the Flemish movement, the poet François Joseph Willems, was orangist before being flaming. “One of the rare connections of orangism with the Flemish movement, because nostalgia for the United Kingdom in the Netherlands included the French-speaking provinces,” said Bruno de Wever. Bart de Wever and the others refer to these Netherlands.

The return to the Burgundian Netherlands, the famous “seventeen provinces”, which also included the north of France and part of Wallonia, the principality of Liège except, is not a very concrete political project either. “These signals may be a cry of the heart, but it is also a kind of jokea small provocation for attentive journalists, ”says Bruno de Wever, brother of the Prime Minister.

“They quickly realized that the Netherlands were far too progressive to their taste.”

Not serious, but …

“These outings are not not to take very seriouslysupports Dave Sinardet, who notes a drop in the relative influence of Dutch culture in Flanders. In 1970, federalism created a Dutch community as a French community. Today, the community and the region are Flemish … There have been rapprochements, especially culturally. When I was little, we all watched Dutch television. This is no longer the case anymore. The creation of VTM helped create a purely Flemish popular culture. ” In the 1980s, the debate was held, within the Vlaams Blok, Dont Un Fondateur, Karel Dillendeclared himself a supporter of Grande-Déléland. “But they quickly realized that the Netherlands were far too progressive to their taste,” observes the political scientist.

However, these outings are not only folklorical or nostalgic. “There is also a desire to enter the club of those who have succeeded, the most modern countries in Europe, without Wallonia, therefore. The Dutch professing a form of feeling of superiority with regard to Belgiumand the Flemish towards French speakers, “observes Pascal Delwit, professor at the ULB, which recalls that in football, the great enemy of the” Rode Duivels “until the end of the last century, were the Netherlands, While today is rather France“We would probably not see Bart de Wever jump for joy like Jean-Luc Dehaene did in 1994, when Belgium beat the Netherlands at the World Cup, “he laughs. “That’s clear!” Notes Dave Sinardet, who recalls that the first visit of a new Flemish Minister-President is now in Catshuisthe official residence of the Dutch Prime Minister. And who notes that the bourgmestre of Antwerp, Els Van Doesburgwho succeeded De Wever and is the wife of the former boss of the Flemish popular movement Peter of Roover, is Flemish, but also Dutch nationality.

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