Evening Post. MONDAY, APRIL 12, 1937. REXISM ON TRIAL

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 85, 12 April 1937, Page 8

Evening Post. MONDAY, APRIL 12, 1937. REXISM ON TRIAL

The Belgian Government's policy of taking the offensive against Rexism (a Belgian variety of Fascism) has come to a test in the Brussels byelection, in which the challenger (M.Leon Degrelle, a' young Walloon Catholic, and Leader of the Rexists) has been heavily defeated by the Premier (M. Van Zeeland). When a "more than ordinary" campaign against Rexism was initiated by r\finisters in October and November, the bulk of Belgian opinion was behind tlie motive, but many doubted the tactical wisdom of the campaign. Would all this attention and attack, they asked, advertise.M. Degrelle and build him up? Human experience has provided many instances of disturbers being extinguished by contempt when they might have thrived on opposition; also many instances of ignored agitators "getting away with it" until at last, their movement has had to be suppressed with violence. In which categoiy did Rexism and Degrelle-stand last October? Who can say? At any rate, for weal or woe, the Premier and the Socialist ! members of his "National" Government took up the Rexist challenge,! following King Leopold's radical statement •of Belgian neutrality on' October 14. The campaign of hard, knocks has produced the Brussels byelection, and may not end there. The Van Zeeland "National" Cabinet consists not only of Socialists but of: Catholics and Liberals. It is reported that there have been Catholic hesitations preceding the by-election, due partly to the fact that the Fascist character of Rexism has placed. the Communists for once on the side of the Government, and Catholics and 'Communists do not enjoy being in , the same conpartment.'. But the Archbishop of Ma lines has intervened, calling on Catholics to vote against Rexism,' and not merely to lodge informal votes., Why there can be hesitations, in a democracy like Belgium, on the Fascist or Rexist , issue is sufficiently explained by the opportunist use M. Degrelle has made of cross-currents of political opinion on issues where the ordinary party lines are dividedf The Van Zeeland Government, like all "recovery" Governments, had to- tread on some corns; the owners of these proved useful to M. Degrelle. He "appealed to the 'left-overs' of the economic crisis, and to the youth whose natural impulse is to sweep clean." An opportunist, in opposition, has not tlie same need to make, mistakes as a Government in office; yet M. Degrelle has made many—that is, if inconsistencies in a political adventurer can be called mistakes. . He has a long memory for all inconsistencies except his own. And many people are ready to forget the inconsistencies of one who has not written them in laws, and administrative acts, with the inevitable kickback that bad laws and bad acts produce.

Although a Walloon, M. Degrelle made a "loose alliance with the Flemish Nationalists, whose attitude towards his Walloon followers is hostile, and whose political ideal is Dietschland, a hypothetical' State whose borders touch the Channel, France, 'Wallonie,' and Germany, and whose people are ' exclusively Fleming, and whose tongue is Flemish." A somewhat similar separation of the 'Flemish areas from the Walloon areas was pursued by the Germans when in occupation of Belgium, 1914-18. To many Belgians, separatists are traitors. Consequently, "M. Dqgrelle's move," writes Betty Barzin in "The Fortnightly," "upset many good Belgians, not only in the Walloon provinces, but also in Brussels and in the Flemish p art of the country; and one cannot help feeling that, had the Government seized this psychological opportunity and not interfered, the Rexists would have lost a great number of adherents. But the Government had embarked upon an anti-extremist crusade,, and was already moving too swiftly for any brake to act." In primitive warfare, the leaders of the two armies sometimes met sword-to-sword in no man's land and decided the war by a duel. But in this, duel in Brussels one leader appears to have had little to lose by defeat, but the other staked everything. A Rexist by-election victory over the Belgian Premier would have advanced this party (in ,its inspiration a one-man party) well along the highway and would have given its leader a Hitleresque opportunity of which he would have taken full advantage. On the contrary, as lie said last month, defeat is nothing—"if lam beaten I will resume work with the same ardour and optimism." Economic suffering always brings a degree of sympathy with a loudvoiced opportunist even though he

has no constructive policy. Suffering arouses feelings that cannot be reasoned with; and some people have likened Rex-appeal to sexappeal. Both are reproved, never quite repressed. The writer quoted above is of opinion that ■ "there is no tangible evidence to substantiate" the suggestion that "part at any rate of M. Degrelle's expensive propaganda is paid for by.Berlin." He has various financial resources:

Some of M. Degrelle's most bitter opponents take out ah insurance policy to safeguard their future (as was done in Italy and Germany also) in the form of financial gifts to a party they1 fear. Although no material link between Rex and the Nazis has been traced, certain "spiritual ties cannot fail to be noticed. . . . The Flemish Nationalists, the first political group to be approached by M. Degrelle with a view to common action, happen to be the only group in Belgium which sympathises with Nazi Germany; and, above all, M. Degrelle's outcry against Communism has coincided with the recurrence of the anti-Soviet campaign in Germany. And M. Degrelle has stated that "the first act of his Government" will be the recognition of the annexation of Abyssinia by Italy. It will be noted that a few days ago tlie Australian Associated Press Agency reported that King Leopold's speech has led to an understanding that Belgium will no longer be bound to come to the military aid of any other country (except under the Covenant of the League of Nations) and will increase her own defences. The idea is a Belgian defence strong enough to deter any aggression against Belgian neutrality. Belgium "will no longer be bound to participate with France and Britain in military staff talks." The background of foreign policy against which the Zeeland-Degrelle duel is fought makes it a world event,' easily recognisable as such since the world discovered Adolf Hitler.