After the Terror Attacks in Paris Will Belgium take the road of complete support the Far-Right Natio

The terror attacks in Paris, 13 November, were of a great hardship for all Europe and many nations worldwide. As federal democratic state, Belgium has been also affected by the recent events by struggling with hectic internal institutional procedures and national alert for further invasions. Do these intensive tensions will increase the hostility against the Muslim cultural minorities in the country by leading to complete public support of far-right nationalism in Belgium?

Politics and immigration in Belgium

The administration of Belgium represents a unique federal constitutional monarchy which intends to assure democratic equality and effective collaboration among institutions, organizations and citizens in each cultural, economic, public and security aspect. The present national executive authority is performed by the government and two chambers of Parliament, the Senate and the Chamber of Representatives. Unfortunately, this exceptional method of political conduct often encounters discordances regarding the general national political stance between the institutional standpoints of the three major state`s regions.

Moreover, the truly liberal democratic administration in Belgium expressed through absolute regional and communal autonomy makes the governmental decision-making procedures including the set of national alert and public investigations ever more challengeable task, especially in times of safety hazard. Over the last decades the state has become a place of settlement for diverse range of cultural minorities mainly due to migration and asylum reasons.

Currently, around 650 000 Muslims live in Belguim. This amount represents nearly 6% of the overall population. According the conducted researches, in 2013, the Muslims have reached approximately 26% of the citizens of Brussels and 17 % of Antwerp. This rapidly evolving immigration had already a highly negative effect on the national integration policies concerning asylum seekers, applicants for citizenship and unemployed and increased the public and political distance towards the new arrivals.

Nationalism as part of Belgium`s cultural identity

Several historical factors provide an explanation of the contemporary highly sizable nationalistic and far-right political presence in Belgium. Since the state`s creation in 1930, the general democratic course has been following patriotism as successful strategy for development of stable political structure and protection of national economic interests. After the Second Word War, the global financial and public tendencies have initiated further ideological straightening of Belgium`s nationalism against the world`s international unification. This political direction has been also kept after the foundation of the European Union during the 1950s and the industrial empowerment of the Flemish region.

Furthermore, the serial of federalization reforms in Belgium of the early 1970s have opened an opportunity for the new formed local nationalistic political parties such as the Flemish nationalist party (Vlaams Belang) and the far-right the Flemish Block (Vlaams Blok) to express their particular ideological preferences in the elected parliaments including protection the Belgian cultural heritage and economic wealthiness from foreign invaders.

Presently, the Flemish Block does not exist but the Belgian far-right nationalist participation into the European political and national democratic affaires continues to be a leading factor. According to the official results of the 2014 European elections, the New Flemish Alliance, a unit between the centre-right Flemish nationalist and the conservative political party, has reached great electoral support of 17 % until the Flemish nationalist party is represented in the European Parliament with 4 % of the votes. This tendency has been maintained in the Belgian federal elections, in 2014, where the New Flemish Alliance has achieved 20% and the far-rights 3.7 %. Similarly to the Belgian nationalist parties of 1970s, these modern far-right nationalists are campaigning for national government of financial repair with leaders who are willing to create neoliberal economic policies, confederalism and radical pro-Flemish constitutional reform.

Which way will take Belgium?

Today`s conflicts in the Middle East are placing Europe in arduous position. As member of the European Union, Belgium is also facing uneasy times regarding the acceptance of immigrants and their integration into the state`s common living standards. This difficulty is partly caused by the existing highly nationalistic cultural and governmental background in the country.

After the attacks in Paris, the radical treatment of Muslims in Belgium is already a fact. Does fear and hate among the Belgian citizens against Muslim minorities will prevail by leading to complete national far-right political course? Whether taking under consideration the current national example other European member states such as Denmark, France and the United Kingdom, this possibility appears to be quite possible.

#europe #politics #conflict