To give an overview of the history of the Yzerbedevaart, do you have to write a history of Flemish nationalism. This goes back to the last century.
However, the immediate cause for the beginning of the pilgrimage was the Flemish suffering in World War I, that's why I have this historical sketch here early. For the World Flemish nationalism was primarily cultural in nature and focused on recognition of the Flemish language and culture. In the First World nationalism was a strong political dimension. Belgium was almost completely occupied by the Germans. However, a small piece of West Flanders was in Belgian hands. The Belgian-German front was formed by the trenches along the river Yser. In the German-occupied part of Flanders was a movement that sought an independent Flanders under German tutelage to get out of the Walloon suppression.
Simultaneously, the Yser fought a terrible war. All Flemish villages near the front (including Diksmuide) were razed to the ground. Moreover especially Flemish soldiers would death have been hunted by their superiors Walloon. Among frontline soldiers emerged strong Flemish nationalist feelings. Here lies the basis for political Flemish Nationalism, called Front Movement.
The image of the Flemish suffering (the destruction of West Flanders and the Flemish dead) controlled after 1918 pretty soon the Flemish vision of the First World War. The collaboration was soon forgotten. The Belgian government forgot this not and went on to heavy condemnations of the collaborators, including the necessary death sentences. One of the convicts was Dr.. August Borms, who visited Berlin in the war, to negotiate a Flemish state. He is sentenced to death, but ultimately in 1929 free from that moment a crucial role in the Flemish movement to play it again and to drag in the collaboration in WWII.
After World War I came from 1920 an annual memorial service of suffering from the Yser, of Yzerbedevaart. The first four years, the memorial will be held at several graves, from to 1924 Diksmuide final landing. Besides a pacifist, the Yzerbedevaart gets a heavy Flemish nationalist and Catholic character and got the motto 'self-government, no more war and truce’ mee. In 1930 the Yzertoren was inaugurated under the eye of a hundred thousand present Flemings. There were huge riots in Diksmuide because in that year the Belgian state was a hundred years.
A year later jumped a group of Austrian Nazis in uniform on stage, but were met by organizing off. That this was not an anti-fascist act showed the development of pilgrimages in the thirties. The pilgrimage was increasingly dominated by the Flemish National Socialists of the VNV (Flemish National Union). In 1938 French president has Daels Yzerbedevaart of the Committee about the 'new order’ which are planned and are being made except by the CNS also a wreath by the Hitler Youth. In 1939 the memorial is completely taken over by the CNS.
After the German occupation 1940 pilgrimages were undisturbed. The Yzerbedevaart Committee threw themselves wholeheartedly into the collaboration. In the year of the German invasion was French Daels on stage fraternal beside one of Flanders' most important collaborators, August Borms. Both the extended right arm held up.
The collaboration of the Yzerbedevaart committee led after the liberation convictions for almost all controllers. The Yzertoren itself had a very dark brown color. This resulted in March 1946 in a never solved attack, which was inflated Yzertoren.
Not in 1948 took another pilgrimage place. But neither of these, or any subsequent pilgrimage ever renounced the war record of the meeting and its organizers. Collaborators were again included in the ranks and Democrats and left-wing figures were excluded. In 1953 were three former SS men in a flower arrangement places on behalf of former Oostfronters. Simultaneously by a number of attendees (including the future VB-founder Karel Dillen) solidarity action conducted with the condemned and exiled resident former chairman of the Committee Yzerbedevaart, French Daels. In 1957 Daels even get the honorary chairmanship of the committee.
Meanwhile, there is also put down a new Yzertoren. Er is in 1952 began construction, die in 1965 is terminated. On the tower stands the letters AVV-VVK, which stand for "All for Flanders, Flanders For Kristus’ next to the slogan 'No more war’ in four languages.
It was expected that over time the collaboration would be a minor point in the Flemish movement and within the Yzerbedevaart. The compromise, however, continued. The demand for amnesty for former collaborators remained important. In 1970 was, for example, in the 1945 executed traitor Irma Laplasse in the crypt of the Yzertoren commemorated.
The Flemish Movement and Necrophilia
When building the Yzertoren are the bones of several Flemish war dead from World War stored in the crypt. The most famous bones are those of the brothers Van Raemdonck, who were killed at the Yser. According to the Flemish myth they died in each other's arms. In reality this was one of the brothers in the arms of the Waal Ame Fiévez. A painful detail. Years later also exhumed the corpse of the Waal and interred in the crypt.
There were originally plans to include bones of Flemish fighters from other historical battles take. The President of the Yzerbedevaartcomité even appealed to the Flemish nationalists to dig in search of these historical remains. However, it never succeeded. This morbid tradition incidentally, was continued after World War II when there were plans to house the remains of an old East Fronter in the crypt.
Years later, in the seventies, this nasty tradition was revived. Activists of the VMO (Order of Flemish Militants) then dig several resemble former collaborators, who died in exile, to those reburied in Flemish soil. The most notorious example is the reburial of Cyriel Verschaeve, die in 1949 in Oostrenrijk was deceased and buried. He was in May 1973 unearthed, kidnapped and reburied with great fanfare in Flanders.
From the beginning of the eighties tried to get off the Yzerbedevaartcomité of its far-right image, what she was not appreciated by all kinds of fascist organizations. There were more and more discontented and actions were regularly held during the pilgrimage. At the same time Yzerbedevaart began to become increasingly international character. Because in the shadow of the official pilgrimage showed there is room for all kinds of gatherings of radical to very radical right-wing extremists.
The actual pilgrimage always takes place on Sunday morning. The Flemish Nationalists Yzerweide thousands gather to a program of speeches, hymns and sermons to hear, while being held a demonstration in the village Diksmuide after the official program with lots of uniform- and flag display. On the central street in the village, of Yzerlaan, a propaganda market is held simultaneously of all Flemish nationalist organizations. The evening before the pilgrimage, there are all kinds of celebrations. Especially in pubs and halls on the Yzerlaan there are all kinds of celebrations of radical right skinheads, fascisten, neo-Nazis and other craft. In the hall 'Court of Flanders’ keeps Outpost been a 'European citizenship Comrade Evening', where they are representatives of all fascist parties and organizations from the rest of Europe will receive.
More and more Dutch will visit the pilgrimage. However, these are rarely Flemish Nationalists, but more to representatives of all kinds of fascist organizations and parties, going to Diksmuide to give themselves over to it unabashedly radical right parties, meetings and propaganda activities. His early eighties, mainly right-wing youth of the JFN (Youth Front Netherlands) and the NJF (National Youth Front) who travel to Belgium. But also old mates as Jan Krul of the Northern League and the widow of Rost Tonningen come take a look. After a few years, however, the Dixmude-visit also popular with party-politicians. So visit Ema Bouman and Danny Segers of the Centre Party and later Wim Beaux CP'86 of the village.
Went pilgrimages in the eighties still in reasonable harmony, in 1987 there is an exception and it is from VB- and Outpost circles campaigned in favor of the South African apartheid regime and the resignation of chairman Paul Daels required. The Yzerbedevaartcomité was singing the South African national anthem of the end of the program jumps to the top. However, this concerned an exceptional action.
However, in the nineties, there has been open quarrel and discord, which has led to a variety of actions. Through the democratic pretensions of the official committee split into 1995 a group of 14 radicals from the Committee on the Yzerbedevaartforum. This happened after there from 1990 an increasingly clear conflict arose within the pilgrims. The right-wing extremists did not know anything about a moderation Yzerbedevaartcomité and openly accepting immigrants in Flemish society. This Yzerbedevaartforum is a pressure group, who wants to radicalize the Yzerbedevaartcomité and demanding the resignation of the current chairman Lionel Vandenberghe. From this is in Yzerbedevaartforum 1996 established the Working Group on Radicalization Yzerbedvaart. This working group is mainly populated by members of Vlaams Blok and Outpost and performs various actions against the line of the official committee.
After a series of major conflicts come all groups 1998 back together to jointly visit the pilgrimage.
An overview of recent years, the conflicts and the involvement of Dutch:
In 1993 the CP'86 collects at the Central Station in The Hague to go jointly to Diksmuide. Anti-fascists organized a demonstration at the station. The two groups keep their distance and take pictures of each other. Eventually leave the CP'86 members train under police escort. Diksmuide collect thirty thousand others and the pilgrimage goes quiet.
Ook in 1994 the CP'86 traveling together again off. Take this year forty thousand people participate in the pilgrimage. The European Companionship evening ends in a huge brawl when present English skinheads told that Northern Irish militant sung. Outpost's like people nationalist organization in solidarity with other peoples seeking independence, such as, for example, Bretons, Tyrol, Basque and Northern Irish. However, the English skinheads share this enthusiasm about the Irish struggle for independence and not fall for the post-party at. Thirty arrests are made.
1995
Prior to Yzerbedevaart sent a fax to the Dutch media, where the "Right Wing Extremist Order Troops’ announce all non-nationalist journalists will thrash and will throw in the Yser. The European Companionship evening culminates in massive riots, when the Nazi leader Bert Eriksson arrested. Groups of neo-Nazis and skinheads strokes then to the gendarmerie barracks in Diksmuide, then there is fighting a lot in the village center with police. Be approximately 250 arrests made.
The Yzerbedevaartforum and its affiliated radical groups like the Vlaams Blok, call to boycott the official pilgrimage to the Yzerweide. The immediate reason is that are adapted to them the basics of Yzerbedevaart Committee and that a call for tolerance included. This was against the sore spot of the radicals. They organize a demonstration across Yzer. Several thousand right radicals try with a sound demonstration to disrupt the ceremonies and loudly demand the resignation of Lionel Vandenberghe, the Chairman of the Committee.
1996
The CP'86 traveling together down to Diksmuide and is present with an information booth in the Hof van Vlaanderen '. The foregoing, however, takes no means without problems. Because of the riots 1994 en 1995 the Gendarmerie has to err on the side of caution taken and is omnipresent. Around Diksmuide all foreign cars inspected weapons and prohibited symbols. Also in the village itself is tightly controlled and made more than a hundred arrests. Among them is also the vice chairman of the CP'86, Stewart Mordaunt, that the land is turned off.
On Saturday the European Camaraderie Evening. About 250 visitors come to the Outpost meeting in Hof van Vlaanderen. In two pubs next to the Court skinhead meetings. It remains that evening calm. The next day, that is otherwise: the Yzerweide served hearty action by the Working Group on Radicalization Yzerbedevaart.
Reserved seats are occupied (as leaders of the Vlaams Blok had not received an official invitation) and speeches are disturbed dismayed. When a column of the Flemish National Youth Association already drumming trying to occupy the stage, The commemoration culminates in a brawl. Here fighting Flemish and Dutch For Posters shoulder to shoulder. De Nederlanders Tim Mudde, Douwe van der Bos and Johan van Enk fighting in the front lines along.
1997
This year boycott all radical groups throughout Yzerbedevaart. As a result the number of visitors reached a historic low of six thousand, unlike twenty years before that were present on the meadow. The democrats among the visitors were, however, pleased now to a final split between the Flemish movement and the extreme right seemed to come.
Yet the desire for a broad movement turns eventually dominate and discussions are continuing between the Committee and the forum. In de zomer van 1998 eventually signed the peace and takes the back seat Yzerbedevaartforum is dissolved in the committee and the forum. From that moment the right radicals (including the Vlaams Blok) welcome again.
1998
Peace is signed. The radicals feel at home again on the meadow. VB and Outpost are therefore in great numbers in coming days. VB sees it as a great victory. Attempts by the Yzerbedevaartcomité, to steer a more moderate course, have failed in the eyes of the Block.
It is very questionable whether this is really so, or that the Bloc has returned to the pilgrimage to not lose its contact with the Flemish movement. Speech Yzerbedevaartcomité chairman Lionel Vandenberghe this year was somewhat brighter than in previous years. So with clear terms there was an independent Flanders demanded and was called for an amnesty for political collaborators. At the same time he made an explicit way to a call for free speech, peaceful and tolerant Flanders and for the integration of migrants. At the same time plays the Vlaams Blok to praise Vandenberghe and they speak of a great victory now has failed to isolate them and other radical groups within the Flemish movement.
The renewed cooperation leads to an attendance of fifteen thousand (against six thousand last year).
The Yzerbedevaart always seems to lose more color. By the struggle of the past few years to take the visitors off and is becoming a little hit of veterans and neo-Nazis. The coming years will show to what extent the organizers want to keep the pilgrimage within democratic fairway. The appearance has been against them and some members of the organizing committee said goodbye for this reason.
