Philip De Winter, leader of 'Vlaams Belang' party
Belgium has been a center of controversy many times, in regard to issues pertaining to foreigners, especially in Antwerp, which has the "Vlaams Belang," a political party known to have extreme views against foreigners.
They preach hatred against foreigners to solicit for votes during political campaigns, yet they find it unacceptable when the American Embassy in Brussels, excluded them from attending Obama's inauguration.
According to the "Vlaams Belang" weeks before the inauguration of the 44th president of the USA, Barack Obama, at the Brussels residence of the American Ambassador, all Belgian senators of the committee of Foreign Affairs received an invitation.
However, on the morning of the inauguration day (January 20th) the US embassy made a phone call to them(Vlaams Belang) claiming the invitation was a mistake and that Vlaams Belang was not welcome.
The "Vlaams Belang" thinks the behavior of the American Embassy is inappropriate as the world's largest democratic country. They went on further to say that "It isn't the task of an embassy to become actively involved in the internal politics of another nation.
I don't understand the "Vlaams Belang" getting bitter over this non-invitation issue when they know what the USA stands for. Americans are people that had learned a lot of past issues in regard to racial problems, just like former Apartheid South Africa.
Now they don't want to repeat those mistakes they made. Changing of constitutions, laws, and other things have brought peace and unified all Americans under one democratic umbrella. This is what the world should emulate.
The "Vlaams Belang" are selfish, and none realistic party that doesn't care about bloodshed but preached hatred against foreigners because they are power conscious.
They shouldn't forget that there are also Americans living in Belgium and whatever they say against foreigners, also affect other foreign nationals living in Belgium. To me, the American Embassy has done the right thing by not giving them an invitation.
The world is tired of hearing things like "An immigrant murdered in Antwerp", "I bought a gun to kill people of foreign origin" Every investigation made in Antwerp over such cases links up with something from the "Vlaams Belang."
If the world wants peace then they mustn't let such political parties survive in any part of the world. They must exclude them from taking part in any international conference. Antwerp can keep them we don't care.