The Many Faces of Belgian Fascism

Opinion Journal ^ | Sunday, August 27, 2006 12:01 a.m. EDT | BY BRET STEPHENS

[Koblenz]

BRUSSELS--Belgium is the birthplace of René Magritte. So perhaps it's not surprising that, in politics, even the fascism here is surreal.

Take Belgian Socialists, Flemish or Walloon. The hallmark of nearly every European socialist party has long been hostility to religion. In recent years, Belgium's ruling Socialist-Liberal coalition has antagonized Catholics by legalizing gay marriage and euthanasia, banning crucifixes from government buildings, and abolishing the traditional Te Deum service previously held by the government to commemorate the inauguration of Leopold I, first king of the Belgians.

[Koblenz]

I'd never heard that Belgium's murder rate was twice that of the US! Wow, that country is really spiraling downward.

It also has a low birthrate (10.38 births per 1,000 people, and 10.27 deaths and 1.22 net migrants inward). The US has 14.14 births per 1,000 people, 8.26 deaths and 3.18 migrants. We have fewer deaths because our population is younger. Belgium also has a massively higher debt than the US relative to the size of its economy.

[kjo]

Forget Wester Europe, they're gone. Yesterday's news. In twenty or thirty years the White Europeans will be immigrating to Canada and the US if they can get in. Perhaps it would help them to learn Spanish and dress like Mexican aliens.

[GAB-1955]

I think your point of view is unduly pessimistic, and not based on what is really going on in Europe. The Muslim immigrants dominate the slums. Leftist politicians see votes in them and pander to them. However, they are not all of Europe. There is a conservative movement, led in many countries by the Catholic Church, that serves as a check to this demographic nonsense.

Furthermore, there are a assimilated immigrants who don't play this Follow the Imam game, though they don't get attention. Given enough time and provocation, you'll see a counter-reaction from someone that Europeans respect and this will end.

[kjo]

I think you're whistling past the graveyard.

[wgflyer]

Yup. Europe is pretty messed up. Even many of my good European friends can't sort things out. They have BBC and Euronews to keep them informed (i.e., blind). Current events are beginning to pick up a momentum similar to that of the mid 30's. Another book is due: Western Civilization, Into the Abyss. I think it's going to get messy, soon.

[itsamelman]

It's the Demography, Stupid

(not you, that's the article's title...)

[wgflyer]

Your description of Europe is how I describe America. Simply replace "Muslim immigrants" with "Hispanic Illegal Immigrants". And I see a pretty good case for pessimism.

Yes, Europe has a conservative movement. Hopefully it is a reasonable one. However, European right wing thought has historically also involved socialism, and is violent. I note from the blogs that there are an encouraging number of Europeans who follow the US version of conservatism, but I see that many on the right over there live and feed on hatred just as do leftists. These are your neo-Nazis and the like. As gypsies, muslims and thieves reign more and more via multiculturalism there will come a time (maybe soon) when Europeans embrace another outspoken fellow who can sort things out for them. At any rate, however, they have reached a point where the only solution that will work is going to involve violence. If muslim and gypsy behavior in Europe are any guide, the bad guys aren't likely to just quit and play nice.

I wonder what'll happen here...