Is Belgium Destined to Split Into Two Separate Nations?

Belgium Divided (2008): The identity crisis at the heart of Belgian society.

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As the divide between Flanders and Wallonia keeps growing, Belgium faces an unprecedented political crisis. How do you reconcile two cultures, two languages and two identities within one state?

The streets of Stavelot are crowded for the Walloon procession. Walloons may be celebrating their identity but this is one of Western Europe’s poorest of regions. Unemployment is double that in the Flemish North. As politicians try to find a power sharing formula, many in the North would prefer an independent nation of Flanders. Peter Busyrogge of the Flemish Separatist Party pushes for independence: “Wallonia and Flanders are two totally different countries. They are two parts of a state but they are completely different cultures”. For nationalists, the lack of common values has made today’s Belgium obsolete. Will Belgium emerge from this crisis reformed and united or is the divide too deep to bridge?

ABC Australia – Ref. 3920

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[commonsense]

This reminds me of French Canada vs British Canada

[intergalacticotter]

How is it that the swiss can easily coexist having four totally different language communities and Belgium is about to fall apart because of two?

[JeffAM]

First of all Flemish nor Wallons are a "race"

[slakkekop]

That woman at 6min mark is one hell of a decieving franskiljon, wanting people to learn the language before they move in and don't turn their communities into 90% Francophone like what happened in Brussels is not racist.

[OLGMC]

Its funny how people outside belgium try to understand and think they know everything.. XD

[ranko.]

We will continue to fight Francophone colonialism and imperialism, no matter how much they shout racist. First they did it from a superior economic position (even believing themeselfs to be a superior race). now that their economy is in the gutter and basically live from our taxmoney, they do it under the cloak of tolerance, solidarity and diversity. Different methods, same goal.

[EricDec]

6:15 I love how liberals use the word "racist" for pretty much anything they disagree with. If a small town uses a languages and year after year hundreds of people using another language moved in, it's not fair for the first inhabitants. It's not about racism (there are from the same race btw), it's about common sense.

[phoenix]

Half speaks French, half speaks Dutch, and all speaks English?

[gabrielcaramet]

Since I go to school in Bruxelles I Lear both French and flemish I tried speaking flemish in Flanders and some people are making fun of me

[hbsblkk]

Can’t blame the Flemish for not wanting to live with the French, I mean who does?

[wannver]

Flanders: A country
Wallonia: A country
Brussels: A country controlled by the EU

[ashina]

People saying that flanders should join The Netherlands don't know about the history, it's like saying that Ireland should join the UK.

[mannaz_y]

Why dont Flanders join the Netherlands and Walloonia join France? Sounds like a good solution.

[StayReal]

Racism is a wrong word for this case. I think it's rather "Xenophobia".

[cd]

Now its 3 countries with the Wahhabis.

[rw]

What the interviewer should have asked the Francophone lady was: would Walloon schools have accepted Dutch speaking pupils? Somehow French is seen as superior to Dutch despite Wallonia being poorer than Flanders

[muhammadarifprasetyawan]

Why doesn't Wallonia join France & Flanders join the Netherlands? Sounds like a great solution!

[shxbalee]

Hi, I want to spread some hope and kindness to everyone here, and more particularly to Belgians.

I am a Walloon from Liège (so I speak French and know a bit of Walloon) BUT I went to study since kindergarten in Limburg (Tongeren more exactly) in the Flanders.

Today I am proud to say that I perfectly speak French (unfortunately not Walloon) and Dutch from Belgium.

I love my fellow Flemish people. They have far more respect for their identity, but don’t fall to the extreme. Most Flemish people that I met were wonderful people and not at all extremist.

I would suggest everyone to learn a bit more about Belgiums history and politics and how it affects us today.

I am a proud Belgian and I really would love to see the Flemish and Walloon people reunite while respecting their differences and making effort to know each other better ❤️

More and more Walloon children at the borders go to Flemish schools to learn Dutch (from Belgium). We are more than what you think 😌

[rosnani]

I think its a slap on a face from flanders to walloonia. Back in the old days, walloon or frenchies treat dutch speaking people like a peasants. This is because walloonia is rich at that time. Now its payback time (flanders hold 80% of belgium gdp). I personally dont want belgium to break up because its such a beautiful and most interesting country (i also considering to work at there) But, in order to do this y'all belgians need to make a single political system, not six. Also y'all need to learn them language especially frenchie/walloonian (because most of bilingual are flanders). Or y'all can just use english since it a bussiness language (at least thats what my country/regional neighbour were doing)
Also, to people who read this please answer this question,
Why frenchies have the tendency to be very arrogant, very protective about their culture and sometimes very chauvinistic?.
No racism and bigotry intended. I just curious, because from what i read in the internet, (reddit, Quora and etc) most of them refuse to learn other language or culture. For example, u can look at quebec canada. Some of them refuse to speak english eventhough the country is overwhelmingly anglophones. And the reason is because they want to "preserve" the culture and always brings up the history about french colonization to support their points (eventhough british win fair and square)

like what i said before no racism and bigotry intended. I just want to know because it is what it is and i happened to be curious.

PS: Fuck the separatists. I love Belgium.

[yurimeuris]

The Walloons vote left, the Flemish vote centrum-right. Whatever goverment is formed, one group is never represented.