Belgium: Fascist link to conspiracy
01 May 1996
Roger Spinnewijn, a leading member of the Belgian far-right party Vlaams Blok has been linked with an international conspiracy to supply arms to the South African Afrikaans Weerstands Beweging (FWB). The conspiracy has already led to two Germans being charged with murder.
The events date back to November 1994 when German and Dutch mercenaries organised a delivery of arms from the Croatian far-right HOS Militia to the AWB. The deal, which took place in Roeselare in West-Flanders, included 5 kilos of semtex, 4 Kalashnikov AK-47s, 10 grenades, handguns and ammunition. The South Africans paid 11,000 German marks. The mercenaries then went to Ramsgate in Kent, where they were contacted by a man called Robert Edwards, who apparently has links to British far-right groups. They then left for Johannesburg, where they stayed with Johan Lubbe, a member of Voorpost (Vanguard), while providing military training for cadres of the AWB in the training camps of "Manie Maritz". Eventually Douwe van de Bos, a member of Voorpost, CP'86 and the ODIN anti-antifa internet group, tipped Lubbe off that one of the Dutch mercenaries was unreliable. The Dutch mercenary went to the South African police, where it became clear that two German mercenaries were wanted in connection with the murder of two Bosnians, allegedly killed with weapons later connected to Spinnewijn .
According to the Belgian press Spinnewijn's role was that of "contact" between the various parties concerned. The German police have already interviewed Spinnewijn in connection with a wider international neo-nazi network revealed by the conspiracy. This network, for whom it is alleged that Spinnewijn is a major link, extends from the Voorpost group (the descendants of the notorious Vlaams Militanten Orde (VMO), who have strong links with Vlaams Blok and who also have a section in the Netherlands, linked with CP'86), through ex-members of the now defunct British Column 88 and the German far-right terror group Wehrsportgruppe Hoffmann (now also defunct, but with links to the Republikaner party). Spinnewijn also has contacts with the Klu Klux Klan and was expelled from the USA in 1980 after meeting J B Stoner, the leader of the Neo-Nazi National States Rights Party.
Apart from his other role as an international contact for the far-right Spinnewijn has played a major role in Flemish fascism. In 1980 he was convicted for paramilitary activities through the VMO. His son, John Spinnewijn was also convicted for paramilitary activities in 1984 after having attacked a left-wing bar. Both are now leading members of Vlaams Blok, John Spinnewijn having been elected to parliament on the Vlaams Blok ticket. Their leader, Filip DeWinter, has since tried to distance himself from Spinnewijn, stating that: "If Mr Spinnewijn is found guilty of smuggling guns then there is no place for him in our party". However many people have suggested that DeWinter has been close to Spinnewijn in the past. Although Spinnewijn has been linked to this conspiracy there have been suggestions made that the Belgian authorities have been slow to follow up this inquiry. Patrick Hostekint has recently called for a judicial inquiry and for Spinnewijn to be arrested in connection with supplying the weapons that led to the murder of the Bosnians.
The Belgian Minister of Justice Wathelet has apparently ordered an inquiry into the affair but no one in the ministry has been willing to confirm that such an inquiry exists. So far the only Belgian police involvement has been a house search leading to Spinnewijn receiving a suspended conviction for possession of illegal weapons.
Parliamentary question, Belgium, 8/9 December 1995.