Vlaams Belang, the Flemish anti-immigration party, remains at the top of the polls in Flanders. How does one explain the incredible success of Tom Van Grieken’s party?

Tom Van Grieken is the most popular politician on Facebook. Last week, his page passed the milestone of 500 000 likes. He thus far exceeds all other politicians in Belgium. “It’s an interesting medium. We receive feedback directly from people. We know if the message gets through or not,” the leader of Vlaams Belang party, told broadcaster De Zevende dag (VRT), on Sunday.

The tactic is simple: invest en masse in social media to bypass traditional media in order to directly target potential voters. With more than 600 000 followers, Vlaams Belang even manages to have a larger audience on social networks than the Flemish reference audiovisual media, VTM (437 000 followers) and the VRT (390 000 followers).

But why are voters turning to Vlaams Belang? Jan Antonissen, journalist and author of the book De Ontfatsoenlijken, [The Deplorables] points to two elements: inequality and identity. “The difference between people is getting bigger and bigger. More and more people feel excluded from society. They no longer feel at home and feel betrayed by the traditional parties.”

Belgian political scientist, author and columnist Dave Sinardet confirmed this observation to RTBF: “The frustration is still present vis-à-vis the policy of migration, asylum and security. Across Europe, this phenomenon is occurring. We see it with Marine Le Pen in France, Geert Wilders and Thierry Baudet in the Netherlands…”

Also, during the extended period of negotiations to form a new government, which lasted more than 16 months, Vlaams Belang kept repeating that it was necessary to return to the polls for citizens to express themselves. The other parties also did not want new elections, because “the only one who could emerge stronger from a new election is the Vlaams Belang,” Caroline Sägesser, researcher at Crisp had warned.

The party is not limited to social networks either. For example they organized a mass demonstration at Heysel at the end of September where some 10 000 people gathered to claim that the De Croo government was not their government with the hashtag #nietmijnregering.

Thousands of supporters of the Flemish party had expressed their anger in a protest against the government majority coalition set to assume power in response to the political deadlock. Convoys of cars drove into Brussels from cities across northern Belgium after the majority among Flemish parties were not represented in the federal parliament.

The Vivaldi Coalition grouped together the Flemish and Francophone socialists, liberals and greens plus the Flemish Christian democrats in a bid to keep Vlaams Belang out. Belgium went to the polls on 26 May 2019 but has been struggling to form a new federal government ever since.

freewestmedia.com/2020/10/13/vlaams-belang-topping-the-polls-in-flanders-belgians-no-longer-feel-at-home/

The polls tell us that Harris/Biden will win easily. Enthusiasm levels tell a different story. Last Thursday, Harris and her vehicle Biden made a less than spectacular appearance here in Phoenix. Fox 10’s Nicole Garcia tried valiantly to make a 4-minute news story out of the sentence, “Biden and Harris came to town, but no one showed up to greet them.”

The Blaze reports:

When a presidential campaign stops in your city just weeks before the election, there is significant fanfare: Droves of supporters and protesters turn out, there is a massive security presence, and national media from most major networks cover the event.

Unless, of course, no one gives a damn.

A news report gaining significant attention online shows KSAZ-TV reporter Nicole Garcia describing a Biden/Harris campaign stop last week in which not a single person was in sight. …

“Pretty much all the people that we saw enter into the parking lot about 45 minutes ago were with the Biden/Harris campaign and the pool reporters,” she explained. “So, you would expect to see — I mean, this is a pretty big event for the two of them to be campaigning together for the first time since the Democratic National Convention. Here in Arizona, our state has established itself as a battleground state, and so this is technically a big event, but not a lot of fanfare.”

Biden and Harris were in Phoenix to meet with Native American tribal leaders at the Heard Museum. They also kicked off their national “Soul of the Nation” bus tour — but no one was there to celebrate with the campaign.

“This is a huge event politically, but you can’t tell,” Garcia went on to say.

To their credit, Democrats don’t seem to like Harris and Biden much.

The spin from the Harris/Biden campaign is that they don’t want anyone to come to their campaign events, because COVID-19.

An unknown cyclist attacked a 92-year-old man on Saturday and stole his wallet. This is reported by the police. Around 2 pm he approached the senior citizen on the street Grabenstraße in Heidenheim, who was on foot. The cyclist attacked the man with several kicks and tried to knock him down.During the scuffle, the unknown man stole a wallet containing over 100 euros. He fled on his bicycle in the direction of the street Brenzstraße. The 92-year-old described the robber as 20-25 years old, 1.75 to 1.8 metres tall and very slight. He had an Arabic appearance and wore dark trousers and a dark jacket with a hood. He was riding an older bicycle.An immediately initiated manhunt has so far been unsuccessful. The Heidenheim police station is therefore looking for witnesses to the incident. They are asked to contact the police station by calling (07321) 322430.

https://www.schwaebische-post.de/1930755/

On Saturday night, a mob attacked the police station at Champigny-sur-Marne in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris with metal bars and firework mortars while trying to break into the building, with the incident sparking fierce debate in France about the breakdown of law and order. 

The mayor and the police prefect of Paris, which is known for its predominately migrant population and a dangerous area for police, have condemned the unprecedented attack, the French news station BFM TVreported.

“We were not far from a disaster,” Mayor Laurent Jeanne commented on the events. 

The French Ministry of the Interior also released a statement saying the attack was aimed at “breaking the symbols of the Republic” and “breaking the police”. 

Video of the massive attack on a police station quickly went viral across social media. 

As two police officers took a cigarette break in front of the station before midnight on Saturday, they saw about 40 people racing towards them. Police managed to lock the building’s security door just in time. Seconds later, the crowd attacked. At first, the thugs tried to break the armored glass of the door with an iron rod and light a fire.

They then fired cannons, rockets, and incendiary projectiles at the police building from the street.

Champion-sur-Marne Mayor Laurent Jeanne on BFMTV condemned the attack, saying “we were not far from a disaster.”

According to him, the attack was prepared and it was an attempt to  “even the score.” Apparently, the attackers blamed the police for a scooter accident a few days ago.

The police prefect of Paris, Didier Lallement, responded to the attack on Twitter, expressing support for the police. The migrant suburb of Paris, Val-de-Marne, where the attack took place, is often considered a no-go zone by authorities. The Republican opposition placed the area among the French territories that the state must regain control of.

According to Valérie Pécresse, head of the Ile-de-France region, “these war scenes are intolerable”.

Several police vehicles and the glass front door of the police station were damaged in the attack. Eight launchers were found nearby. Apparently, the police station was attacked in a similar manner months earlier and once in 2018. No arrests have been made.

The attack on the police station took place several days after three assailants attacked two plainclothes police officers in another suburb of Paris, stole their weapons, shot them multiple times, and seriously injured them. According to the AFP agency, one of the attacked police officers remains in an induced coma in the hospital. 

Police unions called for a protest in front of the Champigny police station scheduled for today. On Tuesday, according to AFP, police trade unions should meet with Minister Darmanin.

rmx.news/article/article/video-mob-attacks-police-station-near-paris-with-massive-firework-mortars-and-iron-bars

One year ago, after a long period of observation, a special police unit in Heidenau stopped the silver Mercedes S-class (price of the car approx. 90000 € ) of the drug dealer Ayham I. (24 years old) carrying two kilos of marijuana on board. He had previously bought it in Leipzig.

On Friday the unskilled Syrian, who came to Germany as a refugee in 2015, was brought before the Dresden Regional Court.

The public prosecutor accuses the man of at least 28 crimes. He is alleged to have sold kilos of mainly cannabis.

In Pirna, Heidenau and Dresden he is said to have been assisted by young women who even offered the drugs at the Goethe High School in Pirna.

Ayham I is alleged to have sold narcotics to a 15-year-old boy. He is said to have brutally collected outstanding debts with an iron bar and a switchblade.

Presiding judge Joachim Kubista (56 years old): “For such serious offences the minimum sentence is five years. Do you confess?”

But the accused, who was given the money for the driving school by German Red Cross workers and who initially delivered medicines for pharmacies, remains silent. On ten days of the trial, 50 witnesses will now be heard.

https://m.bild.de/regional/dresden/dresden-aktuell/rauschgift-an-schueler-verkauft-der-drogen-kurier-mit-der-s-klasse-73342196,view=amp.bildMobile.html

At the weekend, two quarrels between several men took place on the street Brückenstraße in Chemnitz. Three people were slightly injured.As the police reported on Sunday, a verbal argument between an unknown man and a 24-year-old German initially took place during the night to Saturday. The unknown man is said to have shouted an abusive slur after a passing police car, whereupon the 24-year-old addressed him.As a result of the dispute, 15 more people joined in to support the perpetrator. This resulted in a physical confrontation. The 24-year-old and his 29-year-old companion were kicked and beaten and suffered minor injuries. The 29-year-old German was apparently injured with a knife.

The police forces, which were called in, spotted three suspects during a search of the area surrounding the crime scene. One 30-year-old Moroccan, one 30-year-old Libyan and one 18-year-old Libyan are under investigation on suspicion of breach of the peace and dangerous bodily injury. The three men were released on the order of the public prosecutor’s office after initial police measures. Investigations into the details of the crime and the involvement in the crime are continuing.

freiepresse.de/chemnitz/gewalttaetige-auseinandersetzungen-im-chemnitzer-zentrum-amp11140851