THE Flemish city of Ghent is so packed with medieval antiquities that it is in no danger of forgetting its history. Nonetheless, cultural identity is a burning political issue there. On March 22nd marchers led by a conservative Flemish student group, the Nationalist Student Union (NSV), filed into the square of the Cathedral of St Bavo. The march was a protest over the large number of murders of white South African farmers by blacks. It was also part of a growing movement led by young European activists aimed at reshaping identity politics, long the province of the left, into a right-wing cause.
White Afrikaners, like Flemings, speak a form of Dutch, so there is a cultural bond. The NSV, founded in 1976 as part of the Flemish independence movement, wanted to show solidarity with them, said Bavo Janssens, one of the group’s leaders. Behind him flew flags bearing the Flemish lion and a banner reading “ANC murderers”. In a jab at multiculturalism everywhere, Mr Janssens said the Belgian media were too politically correct to admit that “the...Continue reading
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