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Belgians angered by political deadlock march to promote national unity

The Associated Press
Sunday, November 18, 2007

BRUSSELS: About 25,000 people marched Sunday in the Belgian capital to vent their anger about a linguistic deadlock that is preventing a government from taking office and has stoked fear that the nation of Dutch and French speakers may break apart.

The demonstrators - Francophones and Dutch-speakers - gathered at a park in Brussels to sing the national anthem and hear others implore politicians to work for Belgian unity. Many carried the Belgian national flag.

The protest at the soaring arch marking Belgium's independence from the Netherlands in 1830 was organized by Marie-Claire Houart, 45, a civil servant from the city of Liège.

Her petition calling for unity has been signed by 140,000 Belgians in recent weeks. It urges politicians "to stop wasting money at our expense on quarrels that interest only a small minority."

The issue of more self-rule for Belgium's Dutch- and French-speaking regions has deadlocked attempts to form a center-right government since elections June 10.

All parties representing Belgium's 6 million Dutch speakers want more regional autonomy. Some seek outright independence. The 4.5 million Francophones in Belgium believe enough federal powers have been devolved in the past 25 years to Dutch-speaking Flanders and to Wallonia, the poorer, French-speaking south.

The protest was a rare sight, with scores of Belgian flags of varying sizes dotting the crowd gathered below the vast Cinquantenaire arch. The demonstrators had walked there from the center of Brussels, the officially bilingual but overwhelmingly Francophone capital, which has long been a focal point of linguistic strife in the country.

The demonstration came on the 161st day after elections in which Christian Democrats and Liberals won 81 of the 150 parliamentary seats. Despite that majority, the would-be partners - split into Dutch- and French-speaking camps - have been unable to form a government.

Worsening the situation was a vote on Nov. 7 by Flemish legislators to break up a bilingual, Brussels-area voting district against the wishes of all Francophone politicians.