Wallonie Libre
Encyclopedia
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...
. It is believed to have been founded on June 18, 1940 on the battlegrounds of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
in the Brabant
Province of Brabant
Brabant was a province of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1815 until 1830 and a province of Belgium from 1830 until 1995, when it was split into the Dutch-speaking Flemish Brabant, the French-speaking Walloon Brabant and the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region.-United Kingdom of the...
province, the place where Napoleon was defeated in 1815 by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n armies. Wallingants, the Walloon nationalists, used this battleground in the Interbellum for the purpose of 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 demonstrations
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
. Free Wallonia claims to be the eldest resistance movement against nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
in Belgium.
Throughout history, the Free Wallonia movement has been known by far as the only true Wallingant organization 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...
. It organised the so-called combat wallon, the Walloon combat, leading to the 1980 Congress where the movement began to call for complete Walloon independence. Notable moments in their history were the riots in 1950 following the Royal Question, the organization of an annual National Walloon Congress and the 1960-1961 Winter General Strike
1960-1961 Winter General Strike
1960–1961 Winter General Strike was the most important strike of the 20th century in Belgium and was called the Strike of the Century. Its triggering factor was Eyskens' government introducing a number of austerity policies under the general name Loi unique...
, following the adoption of the Unique Law.
In 2005, Jacques Rogissart, the then national leader of Free Wallonia, decided to join the Rassemblement Wallonie-France
Rassemblement Wallonie-France
The Rassemblement Wallonie France is a small political party in Belgium. It is active in Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region. In Brussels it is known as the Rassemblement Bruxelles France or RBF...
(Rally Wallonia-France), led by Paul-Henry Gendebien. He created a counter-organization called Nouvelle Wallonie Libre (New Free Wallonia). He was replaced by Jacques Dupont
Jacques Dupont
Jacques Dupont is a French racing cyclist and olympic champion in track cycling.He received a gold medal in 1000m time trial at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. He also received a bronze medal in road race, team, together with José Beyaert and Alain Moineau.He won Paris–Tours in 1951 and 1955...
.