Bart De Wever draws a remarkable parallel between America and Europe in the TV programme De Afspraak

“The losers of mass immigration and globalisation receive little empathy and respect. You can only win those people back with a centre-right narrative of controlled migration, good education and innovation. But you hear that far too little.” In the TV programme De Afspraak, N-VA chairman Bart De Wever analysed the political situation in the United States and in Belgium.

Being dismissed as a Trumpist

The events in the US gave rise to a debate about what democracy is. Chairman De Wever was clear about this. “A society makes a democracy and not the other way around. In this country, we live in parallel democracies that we add up. This cannot continue like this.” Bart De Wever also had a message for Alexander De Croo in that regard: “You can’t simply dismiss people who hold this view as dangerous and Trumpist.”

Dangerous for democracy

The Flemish media was also a topic of discussion. Bart De Wever pointed out the one-sided focus on Trump and the US, while too little attention is given to China’s actions in Hong Kong and, closer to home, the Catalan issue. “People are condemning Trump here, but meanwhile, people in Spain are in jail for organising a referendum. That, too, is dangerous for democracy. There’s hardly any coverage of that, while it’s happening here in Europe.”