Alexandra Maria Catherine Colen (born 9 July 1955) is 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 languag ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

. She was member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives for the

Vlaams Belang , ideology = , predecessor = Vlaams Blok , position = , europarl = Identity and Democracy , european = Identity and Democracy Party , youth_wing = Vlaams Belang Jongeren , colours = ...

party from 21 May 1995 until May 2014. She holds a PhD in

linguistics Linguistics is the science, scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure ...

, and is known for her advocacy of strict Catholic ethics. She is married to Paul Beliën, the editor of the conservative-libertarian

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...

The Brussels Journal. Within the

Vlaams Blok ''Vlaams Blok'' ( en, Flemish Block, or VB) was the name of a Belgian far-right and secessionist political party with an anti-immigration platform.Erk, 2005, pp. 493-502. Its ideologies embraced Flemish nationalism, calling for the independen ...

and its successor party

Vlaams Belang , ideology = , predecessor = Vlaams Blok , position = , europarl = Identity and Democracy , european = Identity and Democracy Party , youth_wing = Vlaams Belang Jongeren , colours = ...

, Colen is seen as a leading voice of the religious conservative (essentially Catholic) wing of the party, even holding prayer sessions within the parliament building together with other Vlaams Belang representatives such as Tanguy Veys. She is an advocate of

Flemish independence The Flemish Movement ( nl, Vlaamse Beweging) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgium, Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought ...

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econ ...

and is an opponent of

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

, euthanasia and

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, ...

. In 1997-1998 she was a major force in protesting images and text encouraging sexual arousal of infants in a text book used for catechism. Re-elected as second candidate on the Antwerp Vlaams Belang list in 1995, 2003, and 2007, she was '' lijstduwer'' in 2010 but managed to get re-elected. Colen quit Vlaams Belang in 2013 and remained an independent member of the Chamber until the end of the legislative period in 2014.

References

Vlaams Belang politicians Members of the Belgian Federal Parliament Belgian academics Belgian anti-abortion activists Belgian Roman Catholics Living people 1955 births Irish emigrants to Belgium 21st-century Belgian women politicians 21st-century Belgian politicians Religious controversies in Belgium {{Belgium-linguist-stub