The Brussels Journal
Encyclopedia
The Brussels Journal is a conservative blog, founded by the Flemish journalist Paul Beliën
. It was founded in 2005, and has both an English language section with various international contributions, and a Dutch
section. It is published by the Society for the Advancement of Freedom in Europe (SAFE), a Swiss non-profit organisation.
, Daniel Hannan
, John Laughland
, Fjordman
, Tiberge, Koenraad Elst
, Takuan Seiyo, Jos Verhulst
, and Matthias Storme
among others. It bills itself as a member of the OpinionJournal Federation but does not appear among the list of members on OpinionJournal's own site.
by the West, especially by governments and authorities as well as by the Left
. It is also a supporter of Israel, and has argued that the nation should become a part of NATO. It has continually highlighted antisemitism in Europe, most recently in reaction to the conflict in Gaza
in January 2009.
The Brussels Journal opposes Iran's nuclear program, and has called for an Israeli military strike on Iran. The journal has labelled the EU parliament as "unaccountable" and " undemocratic."
, is a parliamentary member of Vlaams Belang
. However, Beliën himself has been at odds with the party at times, criticizing the party for its populism. According to Brussels Journal, it is a nonpartisan
publication, and most of its writers, both Belgian and non-Belgian, have no affiliation to any political party or organization.
, after Joe Van Holsbeeck
a 17-year old Belgian boy was murdered by gypsies from Poland, Paul Belien wrote an article calling for the decriminalization of the possession of "self-defense weapons." The left-wing government agency Center for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism attacked the article which called for self-defense as "incitement to violence" and ordered him to remove it, or face state prosecution for holding that opinion. Belien removed the article.
After Hans van Themsche
's murder spree in Antwerpen, in May 2006, the blog article was accused by the Workers Party of Belgium
, a communist fringe party, of "racist propaganda" which allegedly had prepared the ground for the murders. In June, Belgian police summoned Belien for questioning regarding several articles, he wrote for the Brussels Journal. According to Belien the police continued to invite him in for questioning but he refused to show up.
On 27 July 2011 Belgian media reported that the Belgian security agencies will ask the federal prosecutor to open a case file investigating relations between The Brussels Journal and Anders Behring Breivik
, the alleged perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks
. The security agencies would want clarity about a number of articles that have been published on the web site, and that are part of 2083: A European Declaration of Independence, Breivik's manifesto.
Writing for the National Review
, Stanley Kurtz
wrote "A number of us here in the United States have witnessed, with growing concern, reports of the government of Belgium's harassment of the weblog, "The Brussels Journal." We consider The Brussels Journal to be an invaluable source of information and opinion on matters European. By no means are all of us necessarily in agreement with everything that appears on The Brussels Journal. Nor are all of us by any means traditional Christians. Nonetheless, Americans recognize The Brussels Journal as one of the few web-based sources of European news and opinion from a conservative and Christian point of view, and we consider it essential that all sides of political and cultural questions be permitted a place in public debate."
in English, bringing its attention to US bloggers, including Michelle Malkin
, and the mainstream media.
The Brussels Journal republished the cartoons. This action was called a "deliberate
provocation by the neocons
," by an editorial in the Dutch language
Knack magazine
(which noted that the blog had been cited by Daniel Pipes
) According to Knack, Brussels Journal's aim was to "make Americans and Europeans believe that all Muslims are violent and dangerous, after which the clash in Palestine, Iran and Syria can really kick off."
The Brussels Journal has written a number of articles in support of those it calls "moderate" Muslims (in Denmark and elsewhere), and those who oppose what the Journal considers as radical Islam.
Paul Belien
Paul Belien, born 1959, is a Flemish journalist and founder of the conservative-libertarian blog The Brussels Journal.Belien is both known as both a pro-American and a prolific writer and author...
. It was founded in 2005, and has both an English language section with various international contributions, and a Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
section. It is published by the Society for the Advancement of Freedom in Europe (SAFE), a Swiss non-profit organisation.
The Blog
The Brussels Journal has featured contributions by Diana WestDiana West
Diana West is a nationally syndicated conservative American columnist and author. Her weekly column for the Washington Examiner is syndicated by the Newspaper Enterprise Association and appears in about 120 newspapers. She is the author of the book The Death of the Grown Up: How America's Arrested...
, Daniel Hannan
Daniel Hannan
Daniel John Hannan is a British journalist, author and politician who is currently a Member of the European Parliament, representing South East England for the Conservative Party and the European Conservatives and Reformists political group...
, John Laughland
John Laughland
John Laughland is a British eurosceptic conservative journalist, academic and author who writes on international affairs and political philosophy.-Career:...
, Fjordman
Fjordman
Peder Are Nøstvold Jensen is a Norwegian far-right anti-Islamic blogger who writes under the pseudonym Fjordman. Jensen wrote anonymously as Fjordman starting in 2005, until he disclosed his identity in 2011. He has been active in the counterjihad movement, which argues that multiculturalism,...
, Tiberge, Koenraad Elst
Koenraad Elst
Koenraad Elst is a Belgian writer and orientalist .He was an editor of the New Right Flemish nationalist journal Teksten, Kommentaren en Studies from 1992 to 1995, focusing on criticism of Islam, various other conservative and Flemish separatist publications such as Nucleus, t Pallieterke,...
, Takuan Seiyo, Jos Verhulst
Jos Verhulst
Jos Verhulst is a Belgian chemist .He was a teacher at the Steiner School in Antwerp, an associate researcher at the Louis Bolk Institute in Driebergen, a writer and a direct democracy activist...
, and Matthias Storme
Matthias Storme
Matthias Edward Storme is a Belgian lawyer, academic and conservative philosopher.- Family life :Storme was born and raised in a Catholic family in the Belgian city of Ghent. His father Marcel Storme Matthias Edward Storme (born Ghent, 1959) is a Belgian lawyer, academic and conservative...
among others. It bills itself as a member of the OpinionJournal Federation but does not appear among the list of members on OpinionJournal's own site.
Editorial Stance
The Brussels Journal opposes political Islam, and what it says is its accommodation and appeasementAppeasement
The term appeasement is commonly understood to refer to a diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to another power. Historian Paul Kennedy defines it as "the policy of settling international quarrels by admitting and satisfying grievances through rational negotiation and...
by the West, especially by governments and authorities as well as by the Left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
. It is also a supporter of Israel, and has argued that the nation should become a part of NATO. It has continually highlighted antisemitism in Europe, most recently in reaction to the conflict in Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
in January 2009.
The Brussels Journal opposes Iran's nuclear program, and has called for an Israeli military strike on Iran. The journal has labelled the EU parliament as "unaccountable" and " undemocratic."
The Brussels Journal and Vlaams Belang
Paul Beliën's wife, Alexandra ColenAlexandra Colen
Alexandra Maria Catherine Colen is a Belgian politician. She is member of the Belgian Federal Parliament for the Vlaams Belang party since 21 May 1995...
, is a parliamentary member of 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...
. However, Beliën himself has been at odds with the party at times, criticizing the party for its populism. According to Brussels Journal, it is a nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
publication, and most of its writers, both Belgian and non-Belgian, have no affiliation to any political party or organization.
Support for self-defence weapons
According to a polemic in the Wall Street Journal by Bret StephensBret Stephens
Bret Louis Stephens is the foreign-affairs columnist of the Wall Street Journal and deputy editorial page editor, responsible for the editorial pages of the Journals European and Asian editions...
, after Joe Van Holsbeeck
Joe Van Holsbeeck
Joe Van Holsbeeck was a 17-year-old Belgian teenager who was murdered on April 12, 2006 at Brussels Central train station. This murder, following the attempted theft of an MP3 player, took place at approximately 4:30 in the afternoon, during rush hour...
a 17-year old Belgian boy was murdered by gypsies from Poland, Paul Belien wrote an article calling for the decriminalization of the possession of "self-defense weapons." The left-wing government agency Center for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism attacked the article which called for self-defense as "incitement to violence" and ordered him to remove it, or face state prosecution for holding that opinion. Belien removed the article.
Criticism
In April 2006 the Belgian government accused the blog of "racism" and forced the removal of a Dutch language article on the site, "Geef ons Wapens!" (Give us Weapons!). The incident caused the site to shift to English-centric in order to be able to present future such cases to the international media.After Hans van Themsche
Hans Van Themsche
Hans Van Themsche was, at age 18, a student who, in the city of Antwerp, shot three people; life-threateningly injuring one and killing two, before being stopped by a police bullet...
's murder spree in Antwerpen, in May 2006, the blog article was accused by the Workers Party of Belgium
Workers Party of Belgium
The Workers' Party of Belgium is a Marxist political party in Belgium. It is one of the few parties that operates as a single Belgian party...
, a communist fringe party, of "racist propaganda" which allegedly had prepared the ground for the murders. In June, Belgian police summoned Belien for questioning regarding several articles, he wrote for the Brussels Journal. According to Belien the police continued to invite him in for questioning but he refused to show up.
On 27 July 2011 Belgian media reported that the Belgian security agencies will ask the federal prosecutor to open a case file investigating relations between The Brussels Journal and Anders Behring Breivik
Anders Behring Breivik
Anders Behring Breivik is a Norwegian terrorist, paranoid schizophrenic and the confessed perpetrator of the Norway attacks on 22 July 2011: the bombing of government buildings in Oslo that resulted in eight deaths, and the mass shooting at a camp of the Workers' Youth League of the Labour Party...
, the alleged perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks
2011 Norway attacks
The 2011 Norway attacks were two sequential terrorist attacks against the government, the civilian population and a summer camp in Norway on 22 July 2011....
. The security agencies would want clarity about a number of articles that have been published on the web site, and that are part of 2083: A European Declaration of Independence, Breivik's manifesto.
Support
The Washington Times carried an editorial deploring the stance of the Belgian authorities on 17 August 2006 concluding 'From what we've seen of the English version of the Brussels Journal, the accusations of racism are utterly baseless. Mr. Belien is guilty only of vigorously expressing his opinion, and in many cases it would benefit Belgium—and Europe as a whole—to heed the advice from the Brussels Journal rather than to criminalize it.'Writing for the National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
, Stanley Kurtz
Stanley Kurtz
Stanley Kurtz is an American social commentator who identifies with the conservative movement.-Career and works:He is a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a former Adjunct fellow with Hudson Institute, with a special interest in America's "culture wars." Kurtz writings on the...
wrote "A number of us here in the United States have witnessed, with growing concern, reports of the government of Belgium's harassment of the weblog, "The Brussels Journal." We consider The Brussels Journal to be an invaluable source of information and opinion on matters European. By no means are all of us necessarily in agreement with everything that appears on The Brussels Journal. Nor are all of us by any means traditional Christians. Nonetheless, Americans recognize The Brussels Journal as one of the few web-based sources of European news and opinion from a conservative and Christian point of view, and we consider it essential that all sides of political and cultural questions be permitted a place in public debate."
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Brussels Journal was the first news and opinion site to cover the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversyJyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
in English, bringing its attention to US bloggers, including Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin is an American conservative blogger, political commentator, and author. Her weekly syndicated column appears in a number of newspapers and websites. She is a Fox News Channel contributor and has been a guest on MSNBC, C-SPAN, and national radio programs...
, and the mainstream media.
The Brussels Journal republished the cartoons. This action was called a "deliberate
provocation by the neocons
Neoconservatism
Neoconservatism in the United States is a branch of American conservatism. Since 2001, neoconservatism has been associated with democracy promotion, that is with assisting movements for democracy, in some cases by economic sanctions or military action....
," by an editorial in the Dutch language
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
Knack magazine
Knack (magazine)
Knack is a Belgian weekly newsmagazine covering local news, sports, business, jobs, and community events.It was founded in 1971 and quickly grew out to be a leading Belgian magazine. Currently it has a circulation of about 121.780....
(which noted that the blog had been cited by Daniel Pipes
Daniel Pipes
Daniel Pipes is an American historian, writer, and political commentator. He is the founder and director of the Middle East Forum and its Campus Watch project, and editor of its Middle East Quarterly journal...
) According to Knack, Brussels Journal's aim was to "make Americans and Europeans believe that all Muslims are violent and dangerous, after which the clash in Palestine, Iran and Syria can really kick off."
The Brussels Journal has written a number of articles in support of those it calls "moderate" Muslims (in Denmark and elsewhere), and those who oppose what the Journal considers as radical Islam.
External links
- The Brussels Journal
- OpinionJournal Federation
- http://idiots.dunedain.net/takuan-seiyo-on-the-future-of-america-europe-and-japan/ Interview with Seiyo on Dunedain.net