A report by Belgian intelligence services was leaked over the weekend. It confirmed that the rise of the extreme right “does constitute a serious threat to our institutions.”
In response, Serge Lipszyc – chairman of Belgium’s committee that supervises the intelligence services – condemned the leak and whoever was responsible for it, Belga News Agency reported. In a press release, Lipszyc said he reserved the right to file a criminal complaint with a claim for damages.
Regarding the report itself, which highlights the threat of extreme right influence in Belgian institutions, Lipszyc stated the need to respect the parliamentary process. He said that he would “not comment” on his report until it is discussed in the Parliamentary committee on Monday 8 November at 2:00 PM.
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The report concluded that “the elements, figures and even concrete examples make it possible to prove, without violating the secrecy of information or professional secrecy, that there is indeed a serious threat to our institutions, as has been said and written many times in previous reports.”
The issue of right-wing extremism was brought into focus during the Jurgen Connings manhunt this summer. Conings was a right-wing extremist in the military who stole heavy weaponry from a barracks before threatening public figures and disappearing for weeks before being found dead from an apparent suicide.
Belgium has been concerned about right-wing extremism within its military and recently conducted a series of searches in barracks and the private homes of soldiers looking for evidence related to such extremism.
