Turkish Government wants to forbid poster of Flemish Vlaams Belang
The Turkish ambassador in Brussels issued a statement saying that ‘a poster of Vlaams Belang is stirring up ethnic hatred which is considered a crime under Belgian law’. He wants the Belgian Government to take action to forbid the poster. The poster, featuring a white sheep symbolising Europe expelling and a red sheep with printed symbols of the Turkish and Moroccan flags, was the image of the meeting of Vlaams Belang in Antwerp last Sunday. The poster is derived from a poster of the Swiss party SVP. Together with the poster an animation-clip was shown at the meeting (see www.filipdewinter.be). A thousand people were gathered in Antwerp to listen to speakers of different European countries about the possible solutions to tackle mass-immigration and the islamisation of Europe. Delegations of political parties of Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Holland, France and Sweden were present at the meeting. These parties belong to a European network ‘Cities against Islamisation’ who oppose the entry of Turkey in the European Union and are planning a European referendum on the entry of Turkey into the EU.
Filip Dewinter, head of the Vlaams Belang-group in Flemish parliament and responsible editor of the poster, wonders what business it is of the Turkish ambassador: “In Europe there is freedom of speech. What a difference with the State of Turkey. We don’t have to receive lessons in democracy of the fundamentalist Turkish Government. This poster symbolises that Turkey doesn’t belong to Europe and can’t become a member of the EU. Vlaams Belang is planning with several other parties in Europe a referendum on the entry of Turkey in the EU. That – and only that – is the reason of the protests of the Turkish Government against the poster of Vlaams Belang. Our message is not racist at all. We will only protect Europe for the Islam, which we think doesn’t belong in Europe”.
Filip Dewinter will ask in the Belgian Senate on Thursday at the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs to reprimand the Turkish ambassador in Brussels.