Expatica News, 17 June 2003
BRUSSELS – The far-right National Front Party (FN) has appointed known Nazi sympathiser Michel Delacroix as its co-opted Senator. And the Senate will be powerless to refuse a seat to a man branded an “enemy to democracy”.
Delacroix, a lawyer defending FN President Daniel Feret on charges of racism, was condemned to one year in prison in 1994 for ownership of unlicensed weapons. Delacroix’s home had been raided at the time, revealing an arsenal of weapons as well as documents proving his extremist tendencies and nazi sympathies.
Branding Delacroix an “enemy to democracy”, the Walloon Christian Democrat Party (CDH) called upon all other political parties to reject the FN’s submission when the matter is voted upon Thursday. The Walloon Liberal party (MR) admitted that the selection of Delacroix was as a result of mathematical calculations of votes following the 18 May elections.
Rejecting Delacroix therefore would be an illegal act – one which the Liberal, Socialist and Green parties have refused to bend to. “We will fight right wing extremists – but not through illegality,” the Socialist party announced Monday.
Belgium saw a tremendous rise in support for far right wing groups on both sides of the linguistic divide during the general elections. The National Front (FN) in Wallonia and Vlaams Blok in Flanders increased their scores to record proportions, with the Vlaams Blok becoming the number one party in the Flemish city of Antwerp.