belgium

"The [Belgian Court of] Cassation acknowledges that it would be forbidden to “harass, threaten, or bully ex-members,” but states that this is by no means part of the shunning policy of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is true that shunning may lead “to social isolation towards other members of the faith community,” but this should not be confused with a “generalized social isolation.” The Belgian Jehovah’s Witnesses are a “small faith community of about 26,000 members across Belgium,” and those shunned remain free to associate with all the other people living in the country."

"As it is, the decision [concerning Veer Dusauchoit, a woman who wanted to become a deacon in the Roman Catholic Church] is a legal monstrosity. Churches and other religious organizations have the right to organize trainings and courses restricted to certain categories of persons (a man cannot train to become a nun either). The religious liberty of individual devotees such as Dusauchoit is protected by their possibility to leave the Roman Catholic Church and join one among many other Christian churches that ordain women as deacons and even as priests. Nobody compels Dusauchoit to remain in the Roman Catholic Church. But as long as she stays there, she should respect its rules—which should be left to the Holy See and the bishops, not to secular Belgian courts."

"The Ghent decision, defining as illegal the practice by the Jehovah’s Witnesses to teach that current members (with the exception of cohabiting relatives) should shun or ostracize those who have been disfellowshipped or have left their organization, is the culminating point of a process that, if left unchecked, will destroy religious liberty and the very notion of freedom as we know it. Basically, the Ghent judges affirmed the principle that the freedom of an organization to self-regulate itself as it deems fit is a lesser right when compared to the freedom of the individual within the organization. They also imply that a person should enjoy the same freedoms within the organization that s/he would enjoy in the society in general. It is not an exaggeration to argue that this deeply subverts concepts about freedom that democratic societies have accepted for centuries. Many have argued that the basic question of Western political philosophy is why we accept to surrender a part of our liberty to join an organization. Wouldn’t it be better to remain free?"

"In strictly political terms, Belgium and India have had little to do with each other. Some Belgian seamen were employed by the Portuguese fleet and thus were among the first to colonize some peripheral regions of India, especially Sri Lanka and Goa."

"The Kingdom of Belgium (1830-) had no structural links with India, only a lot of personal and business contacts, with the diamond trade as its crown jewel, and only in the last twenty years, the fast-growing Indian investments in the Belgian industry. When still a prince, Leopold II paid a visit to India in 1865, and Albert I, his successor as king, did so in 1925. It was especially his wife Elizabeth who conceived a lifelong fascination with India . She took up practising yoga and received some well-known yoga masters. Brussels became one of the main centres for introducing yoga to the West."

"In 1500 the Portuguese trading posts became the Estado da India, the base of some Flemish travellers, including diamond traders and missionaries who tried to win souls, on site or farther inland. For example, while in prison awaiting his execution, Moghul prince and throne pretender Dara Shikoh reported profound discussions with the Flemish Jesuit Father Busée."

"They informed Joseph II that his measures might be appropriate for "peoples in the infancy of civilization" such as the Austrians, but not for "a people traditionally civilized, a nation which for six hundred years has refused to submit to any system of blind, arbitrary and oppressive feudal authority"."

"The happy revolution which we have just brought to a glorious conclusion under the visible auspices of God has placed the supreme power in our hands. By virtue of this power we have declared ourselves to be free and independent and have deprived and dismissed the former duke, Joseph II, from all sovereignty..."

"Much in these revolutionary activities [in Brabant] brings to mind the Patriot troubles in the Dutch Republic. As in the North, this nationalism was...based on a profound feeling of nostalgia...and closely related to a profound feeling of humiliation."

"The people have made the revolution, the people have chased the Dutch from Belgian soil; the people alone, and not the Prince of Orange at all, are at the head of the movement which gave it its independence and which will establish its political nationality."

"The discourse of those gentlemen whose clothing glitters with gold trim, of those rough workmen who have donned their Sunday smock, of those women whose long lace caps remind us of the Scheldt River; yes, even of the brussels schoolboys who so boldly push through the crowd. All... bless the name of the King, all speak of his unblemished faithfulness and infinite wisdom..."

"Move, brothers! there once more Where, before twenty-five years, Dressed in war garb, we were; Where we, united by one band, As Sons of one Fatherland, Before Prince and Country stood in battle."

"The revolution of 1830 in the Netherlands is and will remain the greatest state error of this year one hundred."

"For twenty-five years you Flemings have been misunderstood, oppressed and humiliated', For 25 years the Flemings were addressed in a foreign language, sentenced and tried, for 25 years they had to do with French money, a French court, a French army and a French administration. For twenty-five years you have been strangers in your own land."

"In the midst of all this wealth we have seen something humble, something seemingly small, which nevertheless moved us deeply. It was in a dark alley of the lower town, in front of a little house so low that one could touch its roof with one's hand. An old woman, perhaps eighty years old, was decorating her hut. Her hands trembled with stiffness, her chest hygged with heaviness. She brought an image of the well-beloved King in front of her few windows, an image which might not have cost ten cents. Around it she hung a wreath of cut flowers and tinsel; under a strip of paper on which her waddling hand had written in almost illegible letters. Long live the King! On the other side a stone candlestick, to burn two small candles on it in the evening. This was the patriotic tribute of the poor decrepit widow! Perhaps such simplicity would make others smile; she snatched from us a tear of admiration and compassion..."

"There is a kingdom on earth where the Walloon willfully lord it over, and deal with 'the Flemish race' 'as if it had been conquered'."

"Between the Belgian and Dutch minds there is now no more a covenant to be made than between that of evil and that of good."

"I am convinced that this country is headed straight for anarchy, not to say revolution."

"They err who wish to see our fathers everywhere and always clean and spotless."

"The Flemish, well they are big children."

"A smile of self-satisfaction and pride shines on the face of every citizen, and he lifts his eye in thanks to God, who granted him the small but richly blessed Belgium as his birthplace."

"Come, Flemish and Wael brothers, Lie upon Belgium's breast, Unite voice and heart, For your beloved prince."

"Bah! you were there… well, that's good for once, but for the second time I'd advise the Dutchman to stay at home, or we'll deal with him here, as they say the Devil agrees with the Holy Job has done."

"To proclaim to distant posterity the praise of a people who... When apostasy and betrayal suddenly tore the Kingdom of the Netherlands apart, and the Belgians, in the swoon of their freedom fever, in bold hubris threatened even the old borders of the Kingdom, cut and remained faithful to his legitimate Prince, from the respected and beloved house of Orange."

"Anyone, whether in public places or gatherings, by utterances, cries or threats, or by any writing, printed matter, pictures or symbols, which are seized, distributed or sold, for sale or displayed before the eyes of the public, is guilty of insulting the person of the King, shall be punished by imprisonment of six months to three years and a fine of 300 to 3,000 francs."

"The Royal Trust should be able to operate financially autonomously. Now the personal interests of the royal family are too much taken into account. We need to conduct a thorough investigation, after which all options are open, including the cancellation of the Royal Trust and the return of certain domains to the royal family so that they can bear the costs themselves"

"Nobody knows how much the property is actually worth. The Royal Trust itself does not know. The last estimate dates from twenty years ago and is still in Belgian francs. In 1999, the assets were estimated by the public finance department at 221 million euros."

"Since castles, monumental conservatories and other parts of royal domains have great patrimonial and historical value, it is logical that their maintenance requires more financial resources than is the case for other properties."

"The Royal Donation is financially completely independent: it is responsible for its own income and expenditure, and manages its own goods and personnel."

"We have said that the catastrophic question of Mexico is only at the beginning: when eighteen hundred Belgians are thrown into the mouth of that monster they call Mexico, there will be a number of consequences that will fall on our country itself.. After the mourning in the families, perhaps the mourning for the national neutrality, which we have tried to preserve since 1830, because it was indeed our great strength."

"As for the Belgians, it seems that, since the unfortunate Tacamburo affair, the Belgian service in Mexico is over."

"This is undeniably the case: the Royal Endowment has its own legal personality and full financial autonomy. It is completely outside the scope of the federal spending budget."

"The moment the remnants of the Belgian legion are going to return to their country, it is necessary to demonstrate all the folly of the undertaking, not to fall out against the foregoing, but to keep public sentiment on its guard against new undertakings. If one were to attempt such. All the dream images that people had conceived of that adventurous expedition have now disappeared."

"It is understandable that a colonial establishment organized under such conditions cannot fail to prosper. We are also convinced that the example of the Empress' s guards will be followed by a large number of our compatriots who, trusting with reason in the new situation in Mexico, will take advantage of all this set of circumstances so exceptionally advantageous, to to go bring the contribution of their arms and their intelligence to the beautiful work of civilization undertaken by the emperor Maximilian and the empress Charlotte, his august companion."

"Whatever opinion one forms of the enterprise to which Archduke Maximilian has just devoted his life, it is not possible for us Belgians to forget that the princess who shares the destinies of the new emperor is also the beloved daughter of our king, that she grew up among us, that our homeland is her own, and that she has the right to count on the sympathies and the wishes of her compatriots ."

"This is no proof that our Belgian people are not as foolish as some think, and that there are few in Belgium who voluntarily play soldier."

"Almost all the Belgian officers intend to leave Mexico in November 1866, at the end of their military service. They will be followed by many soldiers, because it is all too good for the Belgians in this land of promises!"

"Thanks to the care of the Belgian military authorities, the volunteers returned to their homeland, we were able to find asylum in the barracks in Antwerp."

"This glorious fight gave the Belgian volunteers a reputation for bravery and dedication that the future will only increase."

"The Belgian corps is very weak: it has lost a lot of officers; fighting and disease have thinned our ranks to such an extent that if we are not sent reinforcements from Belgium, our body will merge either with the French corps or with the Austrian corps."

"On the occasion of my 65th birthday, I wish to hand over to the State my properties that contribute to the attractiveness and beauty of the places where they are located."

"The majority of the costs goes to places used by the Royal Family, like the Royal Estate in Laeken and their country residence in the Estate of Ardenne because castles, monumental greenhouses and other parts of Royal Estates have great patrimonial and historical value, it is logical that their maintenance takes up more financial resources than is the case for other properties."

"Why is it necessary that this precious blood be shed for a cause without a very avowable character, for a cause for which the faults of the emperor Maximilian who personifies her, removed what they could inspire of real interest and of deep sympathy ?"

"The Court of Audit, for example, analyzes us every year. In the last three years we have received confirmation that the entire administration and the way we work is in accordance with all standards that can be found. But no one ever asked for more information"

"The bulk of the maintenance costs of the Domain of Laeken relate to the Royal Greenhouses (which are only open to the public three weeks a year, ed.) and the priceless collection of plants whose maintenance has been accepted by the state. In addition, in addition to our own works, government contracts are regularly put out to tender for the renovation of monumental greenhouses. Such as the Congo greenhouse in Laeken, for which around 1.7 million euros has been budgeted in recent years."

"We manage to balance our budget and keep our patrimony in good condition – despite the heavy burdens resulting from the Donation made by King Leopold II – by respecting all the rules that apply to a public institution of the state, under supervision of the Minister of Finance and the Court of Audit."

"Certainly, in such conditions there is enough to seduce those of our young officers whom Belgian neutrality condemns to a rest of which they are somewhat impatient. The honor of carrying with dignity abroad the name of the fatherland and that of defending the august daughter of a beloved sovereign will soon, we have no doubt, fill the ranks of the Belgian-Mexican legion."

"Thanks to the care of the Belgian military authorities, the volunteers returned to their homeland, we were able to find asylum in the barracks in Antwerp."

"We are exhausted in Antwerp and have endured so much that this war seems without purpose.. ..[and that it seemed] strange that Spain, which provides so little for the needs of this country... has an abundance of means to wage an offensive war elsewhere."

"While in 1960 barely 7% of the Antwerp population had an immigration background, in 2021 this has evolved to 59.7% of which the vast majority has a non-European background: 39.6% of Antwerp residents are of non-European descent. Knowing that in 2020 49.4% of the mothers of newborns were of non-European nationality, the bill was quickly settled. In a maximum of 20 years Antwerp will have a majority of residents of non-European descent, the majority of whom will be Muslims. The population is moving at a rapid pace. The flexible Belgian nationality legislation has become a kind of “Fast Belgian factory”. Foreigners disappear from the statistics and officially become Belgians, but of course ensure the further multiculturalization of Antwerp. Along with the ethnic transition, a cultural shift is also taking place, with all its consequences. The native Flemings and their culture and way of life threaten to become a minority in the long run, ripe for the reserve…"