Filip Dewinter, a longstanding figure of the Vlaams Belang party, has sparked controversy by posing with a flag of Verdinaso, a Belgian fascist organisation from the interwar period.
On the occasion of the birthday of a Vlaams Belang member, Ben Bessemans, Dewinter shared a photo on Instagram in which he is seen alongside this fascist banner.
Beneath the photo, he wrote the phrase “Onze eer is trouw” (“Our honour is loyalty”), a direct reference to the SS motto under Nazi Germany, “Meine Ehre heißt Treue” (“My honour is loyalty”).
The post immediately provoked outrage, especially from the Forum of Jewish Organisations (FJO), which described itself as “appalled” by the gesture.
Regina Sluszny, chair of the FJO, stated in that the photo “reveals the true nature of Vlaams Belang.”
According to her, behind the party’s carefully polished image and strategic support of the Jewish community lies the same ideological foundation: one that flirts with fascism, glorifies authoritarian pasts, and engages in historical revisionism.
