Roeland Raes
Encyclopedia
Roeland Raes is a Belgian politician, a former senator
for and vice president of the political party 'Vlaams Blok
'. Raes took a dr. iur. (J.D.
) at Ghent University
.
He became politically active in 1955, when he became member of the Volksunie. He was senator for Vlaams Blok from 1995 until 2002. At the moment he is Vlaams Belang
chapter leader of Lovendegem, member of the Vlaams Belang party board of the district
Gent-Eeklo and (as a former senator) member of the national party council of the Vlaams Belang
. He works at the party headquarters in Brussels as an archivarian.
Raes was convicted for Holocaust denial
. Critics accuse him of being an antisemite.
He is a prominent member of Voorpost
.
sympathies. He was charged with Holocaust denial
in accordance with the Belgian Holocaust denial law after saying on Dutch television : "I doubt the systematism of the extermination of the Jews and I also doubt the number of deaths, [...] and also whether camps such as Auschwitz were all meant to be extermination camps" During the interview, Raes however had no doubts about the systematic persecution and deportation of Jews by the nazis.
The original complaint goes back to 2001. Meanwhile the mother video tape with the full interview, which could have shed light on the context, got lost, so the evidence that can be used in the trial is limited to the parts of the interview that have been broadcast.
Early 2006, at the Public Prosecutor’s request and after a hearing in chambers, the charges were dropped, but after an appeal by the Forum of Jewish Organisations, the case was resumed. In December 2008, he was given a suspended sentence of 4 months imprisonment. The Forum of Jewish Organisations and the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism
received 1,000 EUR damages.
The Brussels
court of appeal on 15 September 2010 confirmed Raes was guilty of negationism, and awarded 1,800 EUR damages to each organisation. He did not receive a sentence, because the court decided the case had taken unreasonably long.
Belgian Senate
The Belgian Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament.-History and future:...
for and vice president of the political party 'Vlaams Blok
Vlaams Blok
The Vlaams Blok was a Belgian far-right and secessionist political party with an anti-immigration platform. Its ideologies embraced Flemish nationalism, calling for the independence of Flanders. From its creation in 1978, it was the most notable militant right wing of the Flemish movement. Vlaams...
'. Raes took a dr. iur. (J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
) at Ghent University
Ghent University
Ghent University is a Dutch-speaking public university located in Ghent, Belgium. It is one of the larger Flemish universities, consisting of 32,000 students and 7,100 staff members. The current rector is Paul Van Cauwenberge.It was established in 1817 by King William I of the Netherlands...
.
He became politically active in 1955, when he became member of the Volksunie. He was senator for Vlaams Blok from 1995 until 2002. At the moment he is Vlaams Belang
Vlaams Belang
Vlaams Belang is a Belgian far-right political party in the Flemish Region and Brussels that advocates the independence of Flanders and strict limits on immigration, whereby immigrants would be obliged to adopt Flemish culture and language...
chapter leader of Lovendegem, member of the Vlaams Belang party board of the district
Arrondissement
Arrondissement is any of various administrative divisions of France, certain other Francophone countries, and the Netherlands.-France:The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The capital of an arrondissement is called a...
Gent-Eeklo and (as a former senator) member of the national party council of the Vlaams Belang
Vlaams Belang
Vlaams Belang is a Belgian far-right political party in the Flemish Region and Brussels that advocates the independence of Flanders and strict limits on immigration, whereby immigrants would be obliged to adopt Flemish culture and language...
. He works at the party headquarters in Brussels as an archivarian.
Raes was convicted for Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
. Critics accuse him of being an antisemite.
He is a prominent member of Voorpost
Voorpost
Voorpost is a volksnationalist group founded in Flanders, Belgium by Karel Dillen in 1976 as a splinter from the Volksunie. Voorpost has the vision of Dietsland, a political entity that will unite all Dutch-speaking territories in Europe...
.
Holocaust denial trial
Roeland Raes stepped down as senator and party vice president after accusations of NaziNazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
sympathies. He was charged with Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
in accordance with the Belgian Holocaust denial law after saying on Dutch television : "I doubt the systematism of the extermination of the Jews and I also doubt the number of deaths, [...] and also whether camps such as Auschwitz were all meant to be extermination camps" During the interview, Raes however had no doubts about the systematic persecution and deportation of Jews by the nazis.
The original complaint goes back to 2001. Meanwhile the mother video tape with the full interview, which could have shed light on the context, got lost, so the evidence that can be used in the trial is limited to the parts of the interview that have been broadcast.
Early 2006, at the Public Prosecutor’s request and after a hearing in chambers, the charges were dropped, but after an appeal by the Forum of Jewish Organisations, the case was resumed. In December 2008, he was given a suspended sentence of 4 months imprisonment. The Forum of Jewish Organisations and the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism
Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism
The Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism , also referred to as Centre for Equal Opportunities and Fight against Racism or translated as Centre for Equal Opportunities and Struggle against Racism The Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism (CEOOR), also referred...
received 1,000 EUR damages.
The Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
court of appeal on 15 September 2010 confirmed Raes was guilty of negationism, and awarded 1,800 EUR damages to each organisation. He did not receive a sentence, because the court decided the case had taken unreasonably long.