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Blokwatch is a news portal, a virtual archive and documentation centre, a critical observatory and a forum for research on the far-right in Flanders. Blokwatch aims to offer objective information, clarification on an academic basis, and a structured debate to anyone who would like to inform themselves about Vlaams Belang and the broader history of far-right ideology. Blokwatch is the one point of reference on the internet for those who wish to study Vlaams Belang and their peers. The fact that the rise of the far-right in Flanders has yet to be halted may not be news to you. At the last Belgian general election on June 13th, 2004, Vlaams Blok raked in 24.15% of the vote, which amounts to nearly one million votes. The far-right is more powerful today than ever. The far-right has also become more of a banality than ever. Politicians of Vlaams Blok and it’s successor, Vlaams Belang, are more than often portrayed as people just like you and me, and as people you wouldn’t mind having a nice chat with. At the same time, the knowledge that the general public and journalists alike have about VB is very much influenced by how the party likes to portray itself – as a normal player in the game of democracy, as a party like any other. However, we at Blokwatch do not believe that VB has fundamentally changed it’s theory and practice, or that it ever will do. To us, VB remains a dreadful far-right and racist party, essentially different from real democratic parties. Vlaams Belang and other far-right groups related to it continue to exploit the internet, which is often used by youngsters as a prominent source of political information. Our aim is to offer resistance by critically screening and by providing solidly argued commentary to information spread by VB. translated by: Michaël Wuytens
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