Paul Hoornaert

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Paul Hoornaert
Belgian Legion

Paul Hoornaert (5 November 1888 – 2 February 1944) was a

far right political activist. Although a pioneer of fascism in the country he was an opponent of German Nazism and, after joining the Belgian Resistance during the German occupation, died in Nazi custody.[1][2]

Early years

Hoornaert was born in

First World War where his combat record was highly distinguished.[5]

National Legion

A strong admirer of Benito Mussolini, but equally demonstrating a staunch hatred of Germany, Hoornaert was a member of the far right veterans' group National Legion (French: Légion Nationale, Dutch: Nationaal Legioen) which was established in Liège in 1922.[6] Initially a minor group it grew rapidly from 1927 when Hoornaert became leader and converted it into a paramilitary militia.[7] Under Hoornaert's leadership the 4,000-strong group, who wore a blue-shirted uniform in common with other European fascist groups, became associated with a militant Belgian nationalism, rejecting emphasis on both Flemish and Walloon identities in favour of a united Belgium.[3] Other important ideological aspects included anti-communism, opposition to liberalism, and the parliamentary system.[3] As Legion leader Hoornaert participated in the 1934 Montreux Fascist conference, campaigned in support of the Italian invasion of Ethiopia (1935–37) and raised volunteers for the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War (1936–39).[3]

The militia, which staunchly opposed

Rexism despite sharing some aims, was strongly opposed to political party activity and for this reason Hoornaert broke from his sometime supporter, the writer Pierre Nothomb when he returned to the Catholic Party.[6] His opponent Léon Degrelle suggested that Hoornaert never had more than 300 followers[5] although more recent estimates have suggested that the Legion commanded as many as 7000 members by the early 1930s.[6] He has been compared to Georges Valois in leading a pioneer fascist movement that rejected Nazism and instead took its impetus from the likes of Charles Maurras whilst drawing on disaffected ex-servicemen for its membership.[5]

As well as leading the Legion Hoornaert was also briefly involved with the National Corporate Workers' Union (Nationaal Corporatief Arbeidsverbond, or NACO), a group set up by industrialist Charles Somville in June 1933.

anti-Semitism.[9] In 1940 he co-operated with Joris Van Severen, with an attempt made to merge the Legion with Van Severen's Verdinaso based on a shared loyalty to Leopold III of Belgium although the attempt was not a success.[3]

Later years

Following the German invasion Hoornaert was forced underground after the Nazis outlawed his militia. As a consequence he joined the

Croix de guerre by France
.

References

  1. ^ "1942-04-24 Paul Hoornaert opnieuw gearresteerd". www.belgiumwwii.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  2. ^ Lionel Baland, La Légion nationale belge. De l'Ordre nouveau à la Résistance, Ars Magna, Nantes, 2022, 230 p. (ISBN 978-2-38356-032-6)
  3. ^ a b c d e Philip Rees, Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890, Simon & Schuster, 1990, p. 190
  4. ^ Hans Rogger; Eugen Weber, eds. (1965). The European Right. University of California Press. p. 149.
  5. ^
    ISBN 9780434427253
    .
  6. ^ a b c R.J.B. Bosworth, The Oxford Handbook of Fascism, Oxford University Press, 2009, p. 472
  7. ^ Giovanni Capoccia, Defending Democracy, 2005, p. 281
  8. ^ Dan Mikhman, Belgium and the Holocaust, 1998, p. 168
  9. ^ Dan Mikhman, Belgium and the Holocaust, 1998, p. 173
  10. ^ Lionel Baland, La Légion nationale belge. De l'Ordre nouveau à la Résistance, collection Le devoir de mémoire, Ars Magna, Nantes, 2022.
  11. ^ "Sonnenburg, mouroir pour des nationalistes français et belges". 30 June 2022.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Hoornaert&oldid=1221278286"