| NSV! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Ideology | Flemish nationalism, Conservatism |
| Website | http://nsv.be/ |
The Nationalistische Studentenvereniging (NSV) (Dutch; "Nationalist Student Association") is a far-right Flemish nationalist student political group in Belgium, with chapters in Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Leuven, West Flanders (including Bruges, Roeselare, Ostend and Kortrijk), Hasselt and Mechelen.
The NSV was founded in 1976 by Edwin Truyens as a radical splinter group of the Katholiek Vlaams Hoogstudentenverbond (KVHV; "Catholic Flemish Student Union"). This split occurred after the national council of the KVHV resented the radical Flemish nationalist stances of Truyens and his faction, including accepting nothing less than full Flemish independence.
Throughout their history, they have made the news several times by being present at demonstrations of the radical fringe of the Flemish Movement. They are considered the counterweight to leftist student organisations in the universities and other institutions of higher education. Despite the controversy surrounding the NSV's radical profile, it is recognized at all the large Flemish universities and maintains a large membership. The NSV celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2006.
The NSV maintains an ideology of conservative, radical nationalism and is very active in the Flemish Movement. Many top figures in the Vlaams Belang (formerly Vlaams Blok ) started their political activities in the NSV, but the organization still claims party-political independence. They also have very close ties to other grassroots organisations in the Flemish independence movement like the Vlaamse Volksbeweging (VVB) and Voorpost . [1] Smaller numbers of former NSV members have also been elected to office for the newer and more moderate New Flemish Alliance party. [2]
Internationally the NSV maintains informal relations with several European nationalist organizations, such as Generation Identity, the Movimento Giovani Padani and the publishing house Arktos. [3]
Members of the NSV can be easily recognised by their grey student's hat and student's ribbons (a tradition in Flanders, imported in the early 20th century from Germany). The colours of their ribbons are black-white-red, these colours are also present on the student's hat. The black relates to the Flemish flag, and white and red are the heraldic colours of Antwerp (the city where the NSV was founded).
Vlaams Blok was the name of a Belgian far-right and secessionist political party with an anti-immigration platform. Its ideologies embraced Flemish nationalism, calling for the independence of Flanders. The party originated from split within the Volksunie (VU) party after the right-wing separatist and national conservative wing became disgruntled with the compromise of accepting Belgian federalism over Flemish interests, and what they saw as the VU's move to the left. The former VU members created the Flemish National Party (VNP) and the Flemish People's Party (VVP) which formed an electoral alliance called Vlaams Blok in 1978, before merging to create Vlaams Blok as a political party in 1979. Vlaams Blok was the most notable militant right wing of the Flemish movement and its track record in the Flemish and Belgian parliament elections was strong, making it one of the most successful nationalist parties in Western Europe and it ultimately surpassed the People's Union in support. The party initially focused solely on the issues of Flemish autonomy and political freedom, which remained its core philosophy, but subsequently gained wider public support through broadening its campaigns to include immigration and law-and-order themes.
The Flemish Movement is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promote Flemish culture and the Dutch language as well as those seeking greater political autonomy for Flanders within Belgium. It also encompassed nationalists who seek the secession of Flanders from Belgium, either through outright independence or unification with the Netherlands.
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Katholiek Vlaams Hoogstudentenverbond (KVHV) or the Catholic Flemish Students' Union is a political student society which concerns Flemish nationalism and conservatism. It accepts male and female members and has chapters in Ghent, Leuven, Antwerp, Brussels, Aalst and Sint-Katelijne-Waver. Previously KVHV had chapters in Kortrijk, Ostend, and Mechelen.
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