Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The number of people with migrant backgrounds has doubled over the past 20 years. At the same time, the number of people without a migration background decreased by 670,000. According to Tom van Greken, head of the Vlaams Belang party, he said: "This is a migration explosion." "
"Meanwhile, the tap remains wide open and more immigrants are arriving every year. Illegal immigrants are not even included in the numbers," added the head of Belgium's far-right party. "Making change is more urgent than ever and this is only possible with the Vlaams party." Belang.
"Immigrants have arrived in every municipality in Flanders in recent years. This is clear from the figures of the Belgian statistical office Statbel. This means that one in three residents now has a migrant background. In 2003 this rate was still one in seven," a party statement said. These figures include not only people who do not hold or have obtained Belgian citizenship, but also those who have at least one parent of foreign origin. More than half of them come from outside the European Union. The figures do not include illegal immigrants, but their number is estimated at over From 150 thousand.
“This demographic trend puts our community at risk.”
“The numbers are alarming, but they confirm what Vlaams Belang has been warning about for decades,” Van Grecken said. “This demographic trend puts our community at risk. Its consequences can be felt at every level. Needless to say, this development is no longer sustainable. “Not for our Social Security, not for our education system, and not for our community.”
According to Van Grecken, there is an urgent need for a policy change. “The Flemish people have been demanding for years less immigration, and all they got is more immigration,” says the party leader. "We must finally work on a completely different asylum and migration policy in this country. To turn the tide, we need to stop migration now more than ever. This can only be achieved with Vlaams Belang. It is more urgent than ever." Belgium is expected to witness legislative elections in the spring of this year, and the far-right party hopes to achieve a success similar to what was achieved by its counterpart in the neighboring country, the Netherlands, the Freedom Party, led by Geert Wilders.