Belgian court outlaws right-wing Vlaams Blok

Belgium's highest court has confirmed the outlawing of one of Europe’s largest far-right political parties. The court on Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling that found the far-right Vlaams Blok party guilty of racism and rejected all arguments put forward by the Vlaams Blok. The judge said that freedom of speech had its limits under tough new anti-racism legislation, and found the Blok in breach of the Belgian constitution. The Flemish far-right movement received 24 per cent of the vote in recent elections in Belgium’s northern region of Flanders, and recent opinion polls show it to be the party which currently commands the biggest support in the region, which also contains a sizeable Jewish community. The Blok is likely to be re-formed under a new name and with a new constitution that omits the illegal clauses.