Vlaamse Militanten Orde
Encyclopedia
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
) or VMO – originally Vlaamse Militanten Organisatie (Flemish Militants Organisation) – was a Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
activist group in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
defending far-right interests by propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
and political action. In 1949, this organization was founded by the Vlaamse Concentratie (Flemish Concentration), a group of former VNV
VNV
VNV can refer to:*Flemish National Union*Vegetarian Network Victoria, the former name for the Australian vegetarian organisation Vegetarian Victoria*VNV Nation, an electronic music group from the UK...
members. Later, in 1954 they would found the Volksunie (VU), a Belgian political party. The links between the extremist VMO and the VU lessened as the party moved towards the centre
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
until all links were formally severed in 1963.
Foundation and early years
The VMO was founded in 1949 by Bob Maes, a Flemish militant who sought the creation of an independent (some even used the words racially pure) FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
.
In the years following the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Flemish nationalists often fell victim in anti-Nazi rallies, manifestations and riots because of their anti-Belgicism
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and because the entire Flemish movement was discredited by military, political and economic collaboration
Collaborationism
Collaborationism is cooperation with enemy forces against one's country. Legally, it may be considered as a form of treason. Collaborationism may be associated with criminal deeds in the service of the occupying power, which may include complicity with the occupying power in murder, persecutions,...
with the Germans during World War II. The Flemish nationalists were considered neo-Nazis and outlawed. The VMO was founded as a security force to protect Flemish nationalists against public lynching
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
.
Soon, the VMO started expanding and turned into a full-size paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
organization, a state within the state. Their armed members were prepared for combat and war in the numerous VMO training camps in the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
.
Between 1950 and 1970, the VMO was heavily criticized but nevertheless tolerated by the Belgian Department of Justice. On 14 December 1953 however, 16 individual VMO members were convicted for the possession of forbidden weapons and for battering and injuring war heroes and resistance members, earlier that year. The VMO itself was not convicted (since it was impossible back then to prosecute a group on penal grounds, only individuals).
First trial
On 14 June 1970, a trial against the VMO was initiated after violent clashes with supporters of the Democratic Front of FrancophonesDemocratic Front of Francophones
The Francophone Democratic Federalists , is a Francophone political party based in Brussels, Belgium founded on 11 May 1964. Until 1982, the FDF dominated Brussels' municipal politics. It is led by Deputy Olivier Maingain....
at a rally, leaving one man dead, who suffered a heart attack, and several other severely injured. The VMO chairman Bob Maes decided to disband the VMO to prevent the members of further prosecution. Soon after this, Bob Maes was elected senator
Belgian Senate
The Belgian Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament.-History and future:...
for the Volksunie and started defending more moderate points of view.
The new VMO
Verdinaso
The Verdinaso was an authoritarian and fascist-inspired political party in Belgium and the Netherlands during the 1930s...
". Several Flemish extremists, radicals, neo-fascists
Neo-Fascism
Neo-fascism is a post–World War II ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. The term neo-fascist may apply to groups that express a specific admiration for Benito Mussolini and Italian Fascism or any other fascist leader/state...
and racists could be detected among the founding members, including the white supremacist Bert Eriksson
Bert Eriksson
Armand Albert Eriksson was a leading Flemish neo-Nazi and Flemish nationalist.-Biography:Born in Antwerp to a Eastern Swedish father and Flemish mother, Eriksson became a Nazi at an early age and joined the Hitler Youth before the end of the Second World War...
. The 'new' VMO soon became an unofficial guard for the then marginal Flemish Block, the predecessor of the Vlaams Belang
Vlaams Belang
Vlaams Belang is a Belgian far-right political party in the Flemish Region and Brussels that advocates the independence of Flanders and strict limits on immigration, whereby immigrants would be obliged to adopt Flemish culture and language...
party.
The new VMO became associated with a series of attacks on immigrants, Walloons
Walloons
Walloons are a French-speaking people who live in Belgium, principally in Wallonia. Walloons are a distinctive community within Belgium, important historical and anthropological criteria bind Walloons to the French people. More generally, the term also refers to the inhabitants of the Walloon...
and leftists
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
as well as the organisation of annual international neo-Nazi rallies at Diksmuide
Diksmuide
Diksmuide is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Diksmuide proper and the former communes of Beerst, Esen, Kaaskerke, Keiem, Lampernisse, Leke, Nieuwkapelle, Oostkerke, Oudekapelle, Pervijze, Sint-Jacobs-Kapelle,...
, where representatives of the League of Saint George
League of Saint George
The League of St. George is a Neo-Nazi organization based in the United Kingdom.-History:The League was formed around 1974 as a political club by Keith Thompson and Mike Griffin as a breakaway from the Action Party, founded by British fascist, Oswald Mosley. The League sought to continue what it...
and the National States' Rights Party
National States' Rights Party
National States' Rights Party was a far right, white supremacist party that briefly played a minor role in the politics of the United States.-Foundation:...
were amongst those in attendance.
In the seventies, VMO gained international attention by repatriating the dead corpses of former collaborators of WW2 to their homeland. In Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, a VMO commando (Operation Brevier) claimed to have dug up the corpse of the priest Cyriel Verschaeve
Cyriel Verschaeve
Cyriel Verschaeve was a noted Flemish-nationalist priest and writer who collaborated with the Nazis during the Second World War.-Biography:...
, a leading figure of the collaboration, and buried it again in Flemish soil. The dead bodies of Staf De Clercq
Staf De Clercq
Staf De Clercq was a Flemish nationalist collaborator, co-founder and leader of the Flemish nationalist Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond .-Biography:...
, the former leader of the Vlaams Nationaal Verbond
Flemish National Union
The Flemish National Union was a Nationalist Flemish political party in Belgium, founded by Staf de Clercq on October 8, 1933. De Clercq became known as den Leider .-Creation:...
(Operation Delta), and Anton Mussert
Anton Mussert
Anton Adriaan Mussert was one of the founders of the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands and its de jure leader. As such, he was the most prominent national socialist in the Netherlands before and during the Second World War...
, the former Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
NSB
NSB
-Education:*National Spelling Bee, the Scripps National Spelling Bee, a competition in the US*National Science Bowl, a high school academic competition*Northampton School for Boys, a British Secondary School*North Sydney Boys High School, an Australian high school...
leader (Operation Wolfsangel), were also dug up and reburied in Flanders.
1978
- December: attack on the PolishPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
soccer player Włodzimierz Lubański in Lokeren.
1979
- February: riots with the police after an anti-immigrant demonstration in SchildeSchildeSchilde is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Schilde proper and 's Gravenwezel. On January 1, 2006 Schilde had a total population of 19,575. The total area is 35.99 km² which gives a population density of 544 inhabitants per km². It...
. - April: attack on a francophoneFrancophoneThe adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
school in MortselMortselMortsel is a city and municipality close to the city of Antwerp located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the city of Mortsel proper. On January 1, 2006 Mortsel had a total population of 24,427 people. The total area is 7.78 km² which gives a population density of...
. - May: fire-bombing of a TurkishTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
bar in Antwerp. - June: fire-bombing of the car of a francophone inhabitant of Voeren.
- August: training camp in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
together with the terrorist Hofmann Group. - October: attack on the town hall of 's-Gravenvoeren.
1980
- February: attack on a socialist book store in MechelenMechelenMechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
. - March: attack on a bar in Moelingen.
- April: attack on the Halletoren in BrugesBrugesBruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
. - October: training camp in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
together with the Ku Klux KlanKu Klux KlanKu Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
. - November: riots with the police after a Flemish nationalist demonstration in KraainemKraainemKraainem is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality only comprises the town of Kraainem proper. On January 1, 2006 Kraainem had a total population of 13,150...
.
1981
- April: fire-bombing of a MoroccanMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
bar in Lokeren. - May: attack on a trade unionTrade unionA trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
building in Sint-NiklaasSint-NiklaasSint-Niklaas is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Sint-Niklaas proper and the towns of Belsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas, and Sinaai....
.
1985
- March: attack on leftist demonstrators in Ghent.
- September: fire-bombing of a socialist book store in Sint-Niklaas.
- October: attack on the MasereelfondsMasereelfondsThe Masereelfonds, named after Frans Masereel, is a Flemish non-profit cultural organization, for the promotion and support of the Dutch language in Flanders . It is one of a family of five cultural organizations in Flanders, such as the Davidsfonds, Vermeylenfonds, Willemsfonds, and the...
building in Bruges. - November: attack on anti-fascist demonstrators in LommelLommelLommel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2006 Lommel had a total population of 31,898. The total area is 102.37 km² which gives a population density of 312 inhabitants per km².-Lutlommel:...
.
The end of the VMO
In 1981, 109 VMO members were sentenced by the Antwerp Court to imprisonment. In 1983, the VMO was condemned as a private militia by the GhentGhent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
Court of Appeal and outlawed.
Despite this verdict, the VMO was considered to be active and operational until the late eighties, when several similar organizations were founded to replace the VMO. The two most successful of these VMO successors are the Odal Group and Voorpost
Voorpost
Voorpost is a volksnationalist group founded in Flanders, Belgium by Karel Dillen in 1976 as a splinter from the Volksunie. Voorpost has the vision of Dietsland, a political entity that will unite all Dutch-speaking territories in Europe...
.