Charley,
Here's a good press digest exposing the Flemish standpoint on Belgium and the French/Flemish divide:
vvb.org
You may want to start with the articles on Brussels.... Actually, there's a striking similarity between Jerusalem and Brussels: both cities have fallen prey to a tug-of-love between rival communities. Indeed Brussels could somehow be viewed as a European Jerusalem populated with 85% French-speaking "Palestinians" and less than 15% "Jew-minded" Flemings whose long-term scheme is to reverse history and regain Brussels as a full-flegded, Flemish city.... We may even think of Brussels' outskirts as of East Jerusalem --although, over here, the colon/native issue comes the other way around.... Brussels is surrounded by Flemish suburbs like Dilbeek, Vilvoorde, Wemmel, Zaventem, etc. However, the affluent French-speaking bourgeoisie has always found it fashionable to live in these quiet, bucolic districts, far from the city's nuisances. Yet, overall, the Brussels region is a predominantly Francophone area. So far, "ethnic" tensions have not intensified as in Israel but if a Flemish "Ariel Sharon" (say, a Vlaams Blok politico) were ever to bombastically show off around an immigrant district (say, Molenbeek), he could get the same welcome as the Israeli one.... |
