Émile Royer (27 April 1866 – 16 May 1916) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

politician and member of the Chamber of Representatives. Royer obtained a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gra ...

at the

Free University of Brussels University of Brussels may refer to several institutions in Brussels, Belgium: Current institutions * Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), a French-speaking university established as a separate entity in 1970 *Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), a D ...

on 4 November 1887 and soon began practicing law in Brussels. In 1903 he represented the anarchist

Gennaro Rubino Gennaro Rubino (November 23, 1859Milillo, 90. – March 14, 1918; also spelled Rubini) was an Italian anarchist who unsuccessfully tried to assassinate King Leopold II of Belgium. Early life Rubino was born in Bitonto, during the period of I ...

at his trial for having attempted to assassinate

King Leopold II * german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor , house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , father = Leopold I of Belgium , mother = Louise of Orléans , birth_date = , birth_place = Brussels, Belgium , death_date = ...

the previous year. Royer had joined the

Belgian Workers' Party The Belgian Labour Party ( nl, Belgische Werkliedenpartij, BWP; french: Parti ouvrier belge, POB) was the first major socialist party in Belgium. Founded in 1885, the party was officially disbanded in 1940 and superseded by the Belgian Socialist ...

in 1894, and in 1908 was elected a member of parliament for the Tournai-Ath constituency. Royer became a leader of the

Walloon Movement The Walloon Movement (french: Mouvement wallon) is an umbrella term for all Belgium, Belgian political movements that either assert the existence of a Walloons, Walloon identity and of Wallonia and/or defend French culture and language within Belg ...

and strongly opposed the annexationist policies of Belgian nationalists such as Pierre Nothomb, Fernand Neuray, and Maurice des Ombiaux. Royer died in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

on 16 May 1916.

References

1866 births 1916 deaths Belgian socialists 19th-century Belgian lawyers Belgian Labour Party politicians 20th-century Belgian lawyers {{Wallonia-politician-stub