''Wallonie libre'' ( French; literally "Free Wallonia") is a minor

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

active in

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

which originated as a group active within the resistance in German-occupied Belgium during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Affiliated with the

Walloon Movement The Walloon Movement () is an umbrella term for all Belgium political movements that either assert the existence of a Walloon identity and of Wallonia and/or defend French culture and language within Belgium, either within the framework of the 1 ...

, its ideology became increasingly radical in the post-war period.

History

Resistance group, 1940–44

''Wallonie libre'' originated as a political association of Walloon migrants in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

known as the Walloon Guard (''Garde wallonne'') in the 1930s. It was heavily influenced by the radical

which supported the secession of

and its merger into

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The group was re-formed in the aftermath of the

Battle of Belgium The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (; ), formed part of the larger Battle of France, an Military offensive, offensive campaign by Nazi Germany, Germany during ...

(10–28 May 1940) to provide aid to the French which were still fighting Nazi Germany. ''Wallonie libre'' was purportedly established on 18 June 1940 during the ''Gardes annual gathering to commemorate the anniversary of the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

which coincided with the radio broadcast of the

Appeal of 18 June The Appeal of 18 June () was the first speech made by Charles de Gaulle after his arrival in London in 1940 following the Battle of France. Broadcast to France by the radio services of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), it is often cons ...

by the French General

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

. The name ''Wallonie libre'' was consciously chosen as a counterpart to de Gaulle's own ''France libre'' (Free France). ''Wallonie libre'' is therefore sometimes credited as the earliest

Belgian Resistance The Belgian Resistance (, ) collectively refers to the resistance movements opposed to the German occupation of Belgium during World War II, German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Within Belgium, resistance was fragmented between many ...

group. During the occupation, ''Wallonie libre'' produced an

underground newspaper The terms underground press or clandestine press refer to periodicals and publications that are produced without official approval, illegally or against the wishes of a dominant (governmental, religious, or institutional) group. In specific rece ...

called ''La Wallonie Libre'' and another in

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

entitled ''Sambre et Meuse''. Although broadly

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

and liberal in political orientation, it became close to parts of the

Communist Party of Belgium The Communist Party of Belgium (, , KPB; , , PCB) was a political party in Belgium from 1921 to 1989. The youth wing of KPB/PCB was known as the Communist Youth of Belgium. The party published a newspaper known as ''Le Drapeau Rouge'' in French ...

in 1941. In August 1942, it was absorbed into the national left-wing faction Front de l'Indépendance (Independence Front).

Political party, 1944—

After the Liberation in 1944, ''Wallonie Libre'' became a political movement. It organised the Walloon National Congress, held on 20-1 October 1945. After a period of dormancy, it was revived during the resurgence of the Walloon Movement in 1960. It organised the so-called ''Combat Wallon'' (Walloon Combat), leading to the 1980 Congress where the movement began to call for complete Walloon independence. In 2005, Jacques Rogissart, the then-leader of ''Wallonie Libre'' decided to join the

Rassemblement Wallonie-France The ''Rassemblement Wallonie France'' (, ''Rally Wallonia France'', RWF) is a small political party in Belgium. It is active in Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region. In Brussels it is known as the Rassemblement Bruxelles France or RBF. Its ai ...

("Wallonia-France Rally"), led by Paul-Henry Gendebien. He created a counter-organization called Nouvelle Wallonie Libre ("New Free Wallonia"). He was replaced by Jacques Dupont.

References

Bibliography

* {{italic title Think tanks based in Europe Politics of Belgium Belgian Resistance Francophone political parties in Belgium Walloon movement Separatism in Belgium 1940 establishments in Belgium 1940 in politics