Nadia Naji, the co-leader of the Flemish Green Party (Groen), has issued a call for all democratic parties in Belgium to unite against the far-right and halt growing rightward shifts.
Current polls project the far-right nationalist party, Vlaams Belang, to be leading voter intentions in Flanders, reflecting a wider European trend. Recently in Germany, large-scale protests were held in multiple cities, in response to the rise of the AfD (Alternative for Germany).
"The struggle against the far-right must be shared amongst all democratic parties as it threatens our core democratic values," Naji stated at the ‘winter market’ event in Brussels organised by Ecolo (Francophone chapter) and Groen (Flemish chapter).
"It makes us choose between democracy and anti-democracy. We implore all democratic parties to stop veering right and make the fight against the far-right a common cause. It’s not just a fight against the far-right, but a fight for democracy."
Ecolo co-leader Jean-Marc Nollet, Groen co-leader Nadia Naji, Ecolo co-leader Rajae Maouane and Groen co-leader Jeremie Vaneeckhout during the traditional New Year's reception in Brussels, Saturday 27 January 2024. Credit: Belga / Hatim Kaghat
Alongside her colleague Jeremie Vaneeckhout and Ecolo co-presidents Jean-Marc Nollet and Rajae Maouane, Naji stressed the significance of upcoming elections throughout the year, including legislative and European elections in June, and communal elections in October. She reiterated the progressive identity of the Green parties.
"Now more than ever, we need leaders who speak with clarity and resolve, leaders who stand unwavering against the far-right," she emphasised. "While all other parties increasingly lean right, we maintain our course to the left. We Greens are the only unabashed progressives, and we’re proud of it."
Elections should not "revolve around the fanatics seeking to seize our freedoms", but instead address core issues such as climate change and inclusion, according to Naji.
Two weeks ago, French and Flemish-speaking ecologists unveiled a joint platform. “We are the barrier to extremism, the barricade against conservatism, the defence against those who seek to end Belgium,” Rajae Maouane affirmed this Saturday.
