He got here, he noticed, and he waited till Bart De Wever had completed his speech. Regardless of the expansion of his social gathering, Vlaams Belang chairman Tom Van Grieken in the end didn’t notice his ambitions. How the specter of victory and defeat descended on Londerzeel.
‘Tom Van Grieken! Tom Van Grieken! Tom Van Grieken!’
When the social gathering chairman of the Vlaams Belang ascends the stage, the room erupts in loud cheering. Flanked by his social gathering leaders, younger folks waving flags within the background, a visibly drained Tom Van Grieken tries with all his may to keep up the ambiance. He emphasizes thrice that his social gathering has achieved victory. In a booming voice he says that the Vivaldi authorities has been punished. He proudly broadcasts that Vlaams Belang has grow to be the biggest in three provinces. ‘Collectively now we have fought for a Flanders the place our folks come first.’
However on the similar time, Van Grieken can not disguise a sure disappointment. ‘We now have to be sincere: our ambition was to grow to be the biggest social gathering in the entire of Flanders. We now have not succeeded in that.’ When he congratulates the N-VA and Bart De Wever, there’s heartfelt applause. He emphasizes that Flanders voted ‘much more Flemish and much more right-wing’ than within the earlier elections and {that a} V majority is inside attain. “Expensive Bart, don’t miss this historic alternative,” mentioned Van Grieken.
© Bas Bogaerts
His viewers should conclude that the chairman can solely ask politely. Van Grieken is already setting his sights on 2029: ‘We are going to proceed to struggle for our folks over the following 5 years.’ In his closing speech, he as soon as once more instructs his viewers to rejoice the victory ‘as a result of it is a bloody victory’. He assures that the marketing campaign for the municipal elections begins tomorrow.
Whereas the Flemish Lion is introduced, Van Grieken leaves the stage surrounded by nationwide and worldwide press. The state of affairs that the chairman had feared for a marketing campaign appears to have come true. The specter of victory and defeat has descended on Londerzeel.
Flanders doesn’t belong to Tom Van Grieken
Solely respectable folks
A day earlier, simply outdoors the Aalst Metropolis Park. Beneath a radiant solar, Geert Wilders, social gathering chief of the Dutch Celebration for Freedom (PVV), steps out of the shiny automobile that drives up. Within the ultimate stretch earlier than the Large Day, he involves encourage the highest of Vlaams Belang. For Van Grieken, Wilders is the final word argument that voting for Vlaams Belang is smart. He’s Van Grieken’s reply to the technique of Bart De Wever, who explicitly excluded the social gathering as a attainable coalition companion throughout the marketing campaign. As a result of after his sudden election victory in November 2023, Wilders managed to get the PVV into the Dutch authorities. He’s satisfied that De Wever’s technique is doomed to failure. “You’ll win tomorrow, I’ve no doubts about that for a second,” mentioned a broadly smiling Wilders. ‘Yesterday the solar shined within the Netherlands, tomorrow the solar will shine in Flanders!’
© Bas Bogaerts
The second a part of Wilders’ prediction has already come true. The solar shines brightly above Resort Den Berg, the banquet corridor in Londerzeel the place the Vlaams Belang gathers. Anybody who enters the banquet corridor complicated is welcomed by tractors coated with Flemish flags. ‘SAVE OUR FARMERERS’, reads a big signal. Friends who arrive by automobile are guided to their locations by a staff of parking attendants. An indication on the entrance to the banquet corridor expresses the express request to not put out cigarettes on the factitious grass that decorates the doorway.
The place social gathering conferences used to look like a sort of pageant filled with unhealthy groupies, at the moment they appear extra like an intensive communion social gathering.
The time when Vlaams Belang emerged as a colourful assortment of outcasts is lengthy behind us. Whereas till just lately it was a bit of cake for journalists to seek out burnt quotes, indecent flags or references to fallacious regimes at Vlaams Belang conferences, Van Grieken has taken tight management of the social gathering group. The place social gathering conferences used to look like a sort of pageant filled with unhealthy groupies, at the moment they appear extra like an intensive communion social gathering. Gone are the Schild & Buddies merchandise or the symbols referring to the alt-right motion. On the sunny terrace, solely tailored fits and neat glasses frames dominate. A single militant with a Make America Nice Once more-petje gestures that he completely doesn’t need to be photographed. Even the ultranationalist group Outpost these days stays nearly nameless within the background.
© Bas Bogaerts
This results in the exceptional conclusion that within the banquet corridor the place Vlaams Belang gathers, there are hardly any Flemish colours to be seen. Apart from the stage, the place the Weight loss program flag can be displayed along with the Flemish flag, the lion flag is nearly utterly absent. At the moment, the social gathering welcomes its members with household images and blue and white balloons. The interior laws that the social gathering shows on the entrance emphasize that guests might not put on ‘offensive clothes and symbols’ (and that unused consumption vouchers can’t be exchanged). Solely 5 minutes earlier than Tom Van Grieken will enter the corridor, Flemish flags are hurriedly handed out. This results in an odd picture: Vlaams Belang militants trying on the massive display screen at an N-VA headquarters filled with lion flags, whereas they’re nearly utterly absent from their very own social gathering. Even the outdated ‘Personal folks first’ now not resonates when Van Grieken addresses his folks.
It should be mentioned that the transformation right into a strictly managed communion celebration doesn’t go utterly easily. Christophe Deborsu, who covers Vlaams Belang for the French-language channel RTL, receives a beer bathe from a hothead who shouts at him that he has no enterprise on the occasion – Van Grieken will apologize to Deborsu afterwards. A social gathering crasher die ‘Let’s Go Belgium’ shouts at Van Grieken, is roughly escorted out.
© Bas Bogaerts
‘Flip off the plot’
Regardless of Geert Wilders’ prediction, the ambiance in Londerzeel quickly adjustments. The primary outcomes present that the hoped-for election tsunami will solely grow to be a powerful wave. The massive viewers that confirmed up had clearly hoped for extra. Some younger folks attempt to preserve the ambiance by cheering when their social gathering takes the lead in a municipality. The cheers are even louder when it seems that the Open VLD and Groen have recorded a heavy loss. However quickly a gentle type of despair takes over the viewers. Whereas Van Grieken initially deliberate to assert victory throughout the seven o’clock information, the social gathering broadcasts that he’ll solely communicate after Bart De Wever’s speech. Simply after seven o’clock, a pacesetter already is aware of what time it’s: ‘We’ll need to attempt once more in 2029.’
When De Wever seems on the scene, the Vlaams Belang public additionally cheers.
It quickly turns into clear that it’s not Vlaams Belang’s flip. The militants are condemned to observe the massive display screen with bated breath, the place they see a busload of N-VA leaders triumphantly addressing their fellow social gathering members. When De Wever seems on the scene, the Vlaams Belang public additionally cheers. Just a few who dare to say out loudFlip off the ploat‘ to shout, bystanders urge silence. The viewers watches breathlessly as De Wever, surrounded by social gathering leaders, addresses his viewers. The Latin saying with which he begins his speech is met with boos. The N-VA chairman receives a heartfelt applause when he emphasizes that Flanders has by no means voted extra Flemish. However there are additionally grumblings among the many militants when De Wever ‘solely’ talks about autonomy and never about independence. When on the N-VA headquarters the Flemish Lion is began, Londerzeel additionally hesitantly begins the nationwide anthem.
© Bas Bogaerts
Within the subsequent interviews, Van Grieken tries in any respect prices to keep away from the picture of victory and defeat. However it’s clear that Vlaams Belang has not lived as much as expectations. The social gathering didn’t even obtain the 1 million votes that Van Grieken had promised – an ambition that was modest contemplating the polls. The dream of issuing a declaration of sovereignty with a Flemish nationalist majority is being placed on maintain indefinitely. Barely two hours later, Van Grieken can be placed on maintain once more by De Wever within the VRT ultimate debate. When requested whether or not he would contemplate a coalition with the intense proper, the N-VA chairman resolutely slams the door. “It might be whole voter fraud.”
Autonomy and independence
As soon as they’re free of their gag order, all Belang leaders emphasize that now we have skilled a historic day. “A unbelievable night,” says Lode Vereeck, who, as social gathering chief for the Home of Representatives in Antwerp, obtained slightly below 60,000 votes. ‘My coronary heart blossoms on the thought that there generally is a Flemish nationwide majority in Flanders,’ agrees Gerolf Annemans. Barbara Pas, East Flemish social gathering chief for the Home and one among Van Grieken’s absolute confidantes, additionally firmly emphasizes: ‘We’re going to rejoice a victory tonight.’
© Bas Bogaerts
On the similar time, it’s clear that the highlight is now not solely on Vlaams Belang. Whereas Van Grieken set the course and dominated for a marketing campaign, he now decides to attend and see. “The selection to attend for De Wever’s phrases was well-considered,” Pas says. “It’s a matter of fundamental courtesy that the biggest social gathering is allowed to talk first.” Solely after Van Grieken’s speech does Van Grieken present himself to be an inveterate optimist. ‘Ten years in the past our social gathering was utterly written off. Journalists then requested me whether or not Vlaams Belang might nonetheless proceed. At the moment we’re inside a couple of % of the biggest social gathering within the nation. How can we be dissatisfied?’
‘Save our farmers!’ tries to deploy a militant in overalls. The social gathering management has already left the constructing.
De Wever’s speech, which didn’t explicitly point out Vlaams Belang, additionally reads Pas as a tenet. ‘I used to be very pleased that De Wever talked about autonomy and independence. Really, autonomy and independence imply the identical factor.’ Pas says she shouldn’t be involved that De Wever had emphatically rejected her social gathering as a attainable coalition companion for a protracted marketing campaign. ‘De Wever additionally mentioned on the time that he would by no means govern with the socialists in Antwerp. He broke that promise nearly instantly.’
© Bas Bogaerts
Regardless of the optimism that the leaders attempt to radiate, the ambiance among the many supporters has collapsed a bit. Regardless of the deejay’s greatest efforts, no legs are thrown unfastened. In useless a saxophone participant tries to entice his viewers into sultry hip actions. The militants silently dip their fries, that are distributed on huge picket trays, within the mayonnaise. Simply after 9 o’clock the group has already thinned out significantly. Smoking is allowed on the terrace, as occurs at the very best communion events pilled earlier than beginning the way in which residence. ‘Save our farmers!’ tries to deploy a militant in overalls. The social gathering management has already left the constructing.
