‘Vlaams Belang wants to replicate the success of the National Rally,’ says VRT News editor Ivan De Vadder, when quizzed about the decision of Flemish far right leader Tom Van Grieken to invite Jordan Bardella to speak at a gathering in the Flemish Parliament tonight.
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Why is Vlaams Belang inviting National Rally leader Bardella to the Flemish Parliament?
Colin Clapson
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This is not the first time that Vlaams Belang leader Tom Van Grieken has invited controversial figures to Belgium says VRT political editor Ivan De Vadder.
‘Remember a controversial Steve Bannon from a far-right movement in the US, or Marine Le Pen from the same Rassemblement National as Bardella.’
Vlaams Belang’s ties with the latter party go back a long way, De Vadder notes. “Both parties are two of the oldest far-right parties in Europe, so that bond is very old and strong. Vlaams Belang MEP Gerolf Annemans has excellently succeeded in maintaining this bond with the French.”
And both parties try to copy each other’s successes: “According to the latest opinion polls, Vlaams Belang is not doing so well here, whilst the Rassemblement National makes it through to the final round of the presidential elections in France and also got several mayors elected.”
Still, the lecture is not expected to pass without protest. “Several groups have already called for protests against Bardella’s visit,” concludes De Vadder. There were also protests when Bannon and Le Pen visited earlier.