Far-right ideas are spreading within the MR party in southern Belgium, weakening the fight against extremism, warned the Socialist Party (PS) leader Paul Magnette on Thursday.
Speaking on the BX1 programme, Magnette expressed concern that the cordon sanitaire against the far-right is no longer effective.
He alleged that while the far-right lacks a dominant party in the region, its influence has grown, particularly within the ranks of the liberal MR party.
In making this argument, Magnette referenced the Charter of Democracy, a pact signed by socialist, liberal, ecologist, Christian democratic parties, and DéFI, which enshrines the principle of the cordon sanitaire.
Updated several times since its creation, this charter aimed to isolate the far-right from political power.
However, the PS leader pointed out that society has changed significantly since the charter was last majorly revised in 2002.
Social media, which was practically non-existent at the time, now allows the widespread dissemination of far-right ideas.
"Hateful messages can no longer be suppressed as easily. These ideas are spreading across Belgium, just like in the rest of the world," he said.
'Deeply worries me'
Magnette urged all democratic forces to prioritise combating far-right ideology. He was particularly critical of certain behaviours within the MR, accusing parts of its membership of perpetuating divisive and polarising rhetoric.
"We see aggression and messages that play, more or less directly, with racist sentiments," he stated. This, according to Magnette, has made relations with the MR "extremely complicated."
The PS leader also called attention to a recent MR-hosted conference featuring Florence Bergeaud-Blackler, a controversial French figure linked to far-right ideologies, who spoke on the topic of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Magnette claimed this event, along with the inclusion of former members of the far-right within MR ranks, reflects a deliberate strategy by the party to embrace elements of the far-right. "This deeply worries me," he concluded.
