The Front de la Jeunesse (FJ) 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 languag ...

private militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. It was founded in 1973 by members of one of the so-called ''NEM-Clubs'', situated around the ''Nouvel Europe Magazine''.

History

A French-Algerian man was killed on December 4, 1980 in Brussels by members of the Front de la jeunesse. This killing provoked a huge

anti-racist Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

demonstration in Brussels and

Philippe Moureaux Philippe Moureaux (12 April 1939 – 15 December 2018) was a Belgian politician, senator, mayor of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and professor of economic history at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. He held the honorary title of Minister of State an ...

, the

Justice Minister A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

introduced before the Parliament a project of law against racism, adopted a few months later. In July 1981, members of the FJ set fire to the publishing building behind the ', after the magazine revealed some information about the internal structures of FJ. This was one of arson attacks that the group had carried out, with immigrant facilities being the most frequent target of such attacks. The organization was disbanded in 1983, when a large portion of its members were convicted for being part of a private militia. Some members of the FJ helped create the neo-Nazi organization Westland New Post in 1981.Hainsworth, ''Extreme Right'', p. 129

References

External sources

Front de la jeunesse et Parti des forces nouvelles
Paramilitary organisations based in Belgium 1973 establishments in Belgium 1980s disestablishments in Belgium Political controversies in Belgium {{paramilitary-org-stub