The Brussels Journal - Notable Debates - Allegations of Racism

Allegations of Racism

According to a polemic in the Wall Street Journal by Bret Stephens, after a 17-year old Belgian boy, Joe Van Holsbeeck, was murdered by romani from Poland, Paul Beliën wrote an article calling for the decriminalization of the possession of "self-defense weapons." The article was titled "Geef ons Wapens!" (Give us Weapons!). The government anti-discrimination agency Center for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism claimed the article constituted incitement to violence and warned that unless it was removed, the blog would face state prosecution, among other things based on the quote

Muslims are predators that have learned from childhood (…) during the yearly feast of the sacrifice (…) how to slaughter warm herd animals.

Belien removed the article. The article has been framed as an important event in the development of a harsher climate towards immigrants. The incident caused the site to shift to English-centric in order to be able to present future such cases to the international media.

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 confessed 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.