Far Right Racist Snubbed in Morocco

No member of the Moroccan press turned up for a news conference held by Filip Dewinter, a prominent member of Belgium's opposition far-right Vlaams Belang party. He was reduced to speaking to a few foreign reporters after not one single government official agreed to meet with him in Rabat.

Dewinter's message was stark. "Most Europeans are afraid of Islam because terrorists carry out attacks in its name. I say out loud what Europeans think to themselves. I think the vast majority of Europeans are afraid of Islam, that is to say because they are afraid of the radicalisation of Islam," he said.

"They are afraid of terrorism which is carried out in the name of Islam. I am not saying that Islam is responsible for terrorism, but I say that people are afraid because there are terrorists who claim to act in Islam's name."

Dewinter went on to say that ..."It's clear that they find the means to carry out attacks among the Muslim community, among the immigrant North African community in our country, and not only in our country but throughout Europe."

Many of the migrants in Belgium are of Moroccan origin. Dewinter also alluded to the trial in Belgium of ten Moroccans and three Belgians suspected of being members of GICM - the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group. None is accused of carrying out the Madrid and Casablanca bombings that killed more than 230 people.

Dewinter, who was on a 24-hour visit to Morocco with his Vlaams Belang party delegation, was keen to disuade Moroccans going to Europe. He said he hoped to persuade Moroccans that Belgium "is not a land of milk and honey".

He said his party was not racist or xenophobic, neither were his proposals for repatriation of illegal immigrants and the establishment, with European Union help, of refugee camps in North Africa for migrants including those from sub-Saharan Africa.

It was pleasing to see that the government of Morocco refused any contact with the Vlaams Belang delegation.

"Our battle must involve all legal means to counter all forms of extremism," Nouzha Chekrouni, Minister-Delegate for Foreign Affairs in charge of Moroccan Expatriates, said, when asked about the Vlaams Belang visit.

Vlaams Belang espouses anti-immigrant views and seeks independence for Belgium's Dutch-speaking northern Flanders region, where it won 24 percent of the vote in June 2005 regional elections. Mainstream parties refuse to deal with it.

Vlaams Belang's predecessor, Vlaams Blok, was dissolved after a Belgian court ruled it racist last year. Vlaams Belang's Manifesto states: It must be made clear to aliens and immigrants in Flanders that they are expected to comply with our laws, and also to adapt to our values and morality, to our habits and to important traditional principles of European civilization, such as the separation of church and state, democracy, freedom of speech and the equal status of men and women.

For those aliens and immigrants who reject, ignore or contest the above, a policy of repatriation will be implemented, through appropriate legislation regulating political asylum, nationality, security and expulsion. Illegal and criminal aliens must be repatriated. Voting rights are reserved for citizens.


Tags: Morocco, Fès, Belgium, Moroccan