Ernest Burnelle (12 July 1908,

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

– 5 August 1968) was a Belgian politician, member of the Communist Party of Belgium (PCB), and part 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 ...

. The son of a worker who was an anarchist, Burnelle was first a teacher and then a conscientious scientific regent in Nivelles and

. He met , who educated him on the subject of trade union action. He was secretary of the Central Liege Socialist Teachers and, in the 1960s, was part of the union Common Front in

. After the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Burnelle joined the Resistance. He participated in the

Battle of Belgium The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (french: Campagne des 18 jours, nl, Achttiendaagse Veldtocht), formed part of the greater Battle of France, an Military o ...

but escaped captivity (under the

Flamenpolitik ''Flamenpolitik'' (German; "Flemish policy") is the name for certain policies pursued by German authorities occupying Belgium during World War I and World War II. The ultimate goal of these policies was the dissolution of Belgium into separate W ...

, the Germans decided to release all soldiers who passed a language test in Dutch). He was part of the . He participated in the underground press, and became a companion of

Julien Lahaut Julien Lahaut (6 September 1884 – 18 August 1950) was a Belgian politician and communist activist. He became leader of the Communist Party of Belgium after the First World War. A dissident during the German occupation of 1940–44, he became ...

. He narrowly escaped arrest by the Germans, who imprisoned his father. He was a permanent member of the PCB underground and continued its struggle in the

Borinage The Borinage () is an area in the Walloon province of Hainaut in Belgium. The name derives from the coal mines of the region, ''bores'' meaning mineshafts. In French the inhabitants of the Borinage are called Borains. The provincial capital ...

then in the region of

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

. He was considered an anti-Stalinist in the line of René Beelen and became secretary of the Communist Party of Belgium in 1954 and its president in 1963. He was secretary of the Liège federation of PCB from 1946 to 1947, was responsible for the national party from 1947 to 1948, and the editor of ''Le Drapeau rouge'' from 1949 to 1950 during the Royal Question. From 1946 to 1949, he was an MP for Liège and supported the proposed bill to amend the Constitution filed by on behalf of the

Walloon National Congress Walloon may refer to: * Walloons, a French-speaking population of Belgium * Walloon language * Walloon Region or Wallonia in Belgium ** Walloon Government * Walloon Lake * Walloon, Queensland See also * ''The Walloons'', a 1782 play by Richard C ...

of 1945, confirmed by the Second Walloon National Congress. He spoke at the Third Walloon National Congress of Brussels in 1948, where he said he was committed to propagate the idea of

federalism Federalism is a combined or compound mode of government that combines a general government (the central or "federal" government) with regional governments (Province, provincial, State (sub-national), state, Canton (administrative division), can ...

in the masses. He entered the

Walloon Popular Movement Walloon may refer to: * Walloons, a French-speaking population of Belgium * Walloon language * Walloon Region or Wallonia in Belgium ** Walloon Government * Walloon Lake * Walloon, Queensland See also * ''The Walloons'', a 1782 play by Richard ...

created after the Belgian general strike of 1960-61, was re-elected MP for Liège 1965 to 1968, and was again elected that year, but at a meeting organized jointly with the

Belgian Socialist Party nl, Belgische Socialistische Partij , logo = Logo of the Belgian Socialist Party.png , caption = The fist and rose emblem used by the party from 1973. , leader1_title = President , leader1_name = Achille Van Acker (first)André Cools (last) ...

, the Walloon Popular Movement and the General Federation of Belgian Labour, he suffered a brain hemorrhage. He was replaced as head of the PCB by Marc Drumaux and in the House by Marcel Levaux which he also engaged in the Walloon movement, including Wallonia Region of Europe.

Bibliography

* ''Encyclopédie du Mouvement wallon'', Tome I, p. 216. ''Ernest Burnelle notice biographique'' par Jules Pirlot http://carcob.eu {{DEFAULTSORT:Burnelle, Ernest 1908 births 1968 deaths Politicians from Liège Belgian communists Walloon movement activists