Coalition partners CD&V and Open VLD express their strong criticism of Prime Minister Jean Jambon

Let's go back to October 19, 2023, shortly after the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East. Then Flemish Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Jan Jambon announced in the Flemish Parliament that he would be examining GetBasic vzw and Vrede vzw, both of which are supported as associations for social and cultural work for adults. This had to do with those non-profit organizations' reporting on the conflict. Jambon wanted to examine these communications to determine whether they were compatible with the Decree, the Rules and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR).

This presentation has now been completed and the result is “reassuring”, Minister Jambon responded to a question from Stephanie Dhouz (Open Vld) in the Culture Committee. The organizations concerned are legally bound by the terms of support, according to Jambon.

However, Gambon wants to keep the nonprofits under “tighter oversight” for a while, in part because communication between the two organizations is “state-of-the-art.” Shortly after his answer, Gambon also spoke about the use of “fake news.”

The fact that nonprofits cannot be legally blamed, but are nonetheless subject to increasing oversight, faces strong criticism, even within the majority. For example, Uri van de Voer (CD&V) speaks openly about “intimidation,” which he believes is completely unacceptable. Tighter control is also “a step too far” for Questioner de Houze. Jambon urges the decision to be reconsidered.

Opposition criticism was also harsh. Committee Chair Myriam Almasy (Green) also spoke of “abusiveness and sheer intimidation.” It also asked Jambon to withdraw the measure. For her part, Katja Segers (Forwit) warned: “We are really moving towards a surveillance state, towards a ‘surveillance society’, and we cannot allow this to happen.”