Hans Van Themsche

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

Hans Van Themsche (born 1988) is a Belgian agriculture student, who at age 18 shot three people (two of whom died) in the city of Antwerp before he was stopped by police.

Contents

[edit] Course of events

Van Themsche had been caught smoking at his boarding school on 9 May 2006, and was facing likely expulsion.

On the 11th, he travelled to Antwerp and legally purchased a hunting rifle from a local gun dealer. About ten minutes before noon, he began his rampage in the city centre with a shot in the back of a woman of Turkish descent who was seated six metres away on a bench reading a book; Songul Koç was severely wounded. He reloaded his rifle and continued. Passing a pregnant Malian nanny, Oulemata Niangadou, and her two-year-old Caucasian charge Luna Drowart, he turned and shot each of them in the back at close range, killing both instantly. While he moved on, presumably looking for more victims, Van Themsche was intercepted by a passing police officer, who held him at gunpoint and ordered to surrender the rifle. After Van Themsche's refusal to put his gun down and upon a suspicious movement, the officer shot him once, hitting him in the stomach and neutralizing him.[1][2][3][4]

While Van Themsche described himself as a skinhead, it turned out he was dressed in a Gothic fashion.[1][3]

[edit] Motives

According to press reports, Van Themsche, while being treated in hospital, confessed to police – and allegedly to friends before committing the murder – to specifically targeting non-whites. Of the 2-year old (white) child, Van Themsche said she was "in the wrong place at the wrong time."[1] Her death however, was not incidental, since the rifle had to be reloaded before each next shot. The killer allegedly told his interrogators that "the presence near a black was sufficient reason" to kill the toddler. According to his statement, his reason for targeting coloured people is that youths of foreign descent used to bully him at school; that would have been at least three years earlier.[3][4]

A farewell letter found in his room – as he may not have expected to survive – did not mention the premeditated murderous intent to which he confessed.[3]

[edit] Immediate reactions

King Albert II and prime minister Guy Verhofstadt condemned the racist shootings within hours. The latter was quoted as saying: "These horrific, cowardly murders are a form of extreme racism. It should be clear to everyone now where extreme right can lead to."[5][6][7]

[edit] Alleged responsibility of Vlaams Belang and its voters

Public debate surrounding these murders targeted the far right Vlaams Belang political party, with claims that it was partly morally responsible for the events in Antwerp. In addition to their decade-long calls for a tighter immigration policy – including in its previous incarnation as the Vlaams Blok, the removal of Belgian citizens of foreign ethnicity[8] – this party is in favour of armed self defence; except for its principle public figure, Filip Dewinter, who has specifically distanced himself from this notion in the aftermath of this racially motivated murder spree.[9]

The party's anti-immigrant rhetoric – and the fact that the gunman's aunt, Frieda Van Themsche, was a member of parliament for the party – boosts the association. In World War II, his grandfather, Karel Van Themsche, voluntarily fought on the side of his country's occupier, Nazi Germany, in Waffen SS uniform against the Soviets on the Eastern Front.[10][11] The family was described as "well-behaved" and as having an "impeccable Flemish-nationalist pedigree." The Antwerp public prosecutors said "on first investigation of his environment and family [Hans] seems not to be brought up in a racialist or violent setting".[12][13]

The family of Luna denounced a letter of sympathy from Vlaams Belang, and asked to be left in peace until after the funeral. The African nanny was buried in Mali, repatriated at the expense of the city of Antwerp.[14] After Luna's funeral, her parents' advocate asked Vlaams Belang to withdraw a campaign banner that displays a little blond girl, reminding them too much of their daughter, "additionally because the child's killer comes precisely from that environment." A spokesman for Vlaams Belang responded that the party already at its Monday management meeting had decided to remove the banner.[15]

On May 19 on Canvas TV, foreign minister Karel De Gucht held "not only the extreme right Vlaams Belang party" but "also the voters of this party" responsible "for the climate of racism" in which the murders took place. [16]

In the wake of the murders, the government tried to take action against Flemish entries on websites where hate and racism are allegedly spread, such as Stormfront. This proved difficult, because the sites are American and protected by the First Amendment.[17].

[edit] Polls

Four days after the murder, Flanders' main commercial TV station VTM conducted a poll among 700 Flemings, concerning the political consequences of the murders: [18]

  • Is Vlaams Belang morally responsible for the murders? 24% yes, 46% no, 30% unsure
  • Will Vlaams Belang suffer in the next election? 37% yes, 34% no, 28% unsure
  • Should government funding to Vlaams Belang be cut? 30% yes, 50% no, 30% unsure

A week after the killings, the polling site De Stemmenkampioen asked its panel whether Vlaams Belang is partially responsible. The next week, the question focused on whether the panel members support the filing of a complaint against Vlaams Belang: [19]

  • Is there a connection between the murders committed by Hans Van Themsche and Vlaams Belang? 36% yes, 59% no, 5% unsure
  • Do you support the procedure, initiated by some parties, that would cut funding for Vlaams Belang? 30% yes, 63% no, 7% unsure

[edit] Aftermath

The evening after the murders, there were confrontations between Belgian and immigrant youths in Mol.[20] There were no riots as there had been after a similar event in 2002.[21] On May 14 there were conflicts during a protest march organised by Africans, and some 40 people were arrested.[22]

An impromptu protest organized in front of the headquarters of the Vlaams Belang on May 15 went without incident.[23]

During the night of 16 to 17 May 2006, a Molotov cocktail was thrown into the office of a youth organisation in Berchem that has links to the Vlaams Belang. Fortunately a Turkish courier could quickly extinguish the fire, especially as the apartment above the office was inhabited.[24]

A similar crime was committed in 2007 in the United Kingdom, when John Laidlaw started shooting at black skinned people. [1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c (Dutch) Moorden Antwerpen / Racisme was de drijfveer voor koele moordenaar ("Murders Antwerp / Racism was the motivation for cool blooded murderer"), local journal Trouw, 13 May 2006
  2. ^ (Dutch) Leiders extreemrechts zijn medeplichtig ("Leader extreme right are also responsible"), vrtnieuws.net, 12 May 2006
  3. ^ a b c d (Dutch) Jonge dader bekent racistisch motief ("Young culprit confesses racist motive"), journal De Morgen, 13 May 2006
  4. ^ a b (Dutch) Gepest door allochtonen ("Harassed by allochtones"), journal Het Nieuwsblad, 13 May 2006
  5. ^ (Dutch) Koning stuurt boodschap naar families van slachtoffers schietpartij ("King sends message to shooting victims' families"), journal Het Laatste Nieuws' web site, 21:15 11 May 2006
  6. ^ (Dutch) Schutter neef parlementariër Vlaams Belang "Shooter nephew parlementarian Vlaams Belang", journal (in The Netherlands) De Telegraaf, 12 May 2006
  7. ^ (Dutch) Verhofstadt veroordeelt racistische moord "Verhofstadt condemns racist murder"), Het Laatste Nieuws
  8. ^ National Analytical Study on Racist Violence and Crime, RAXEN Focal Point for Belgium, Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism, page 11. See also 70 steps plan (Belgium).
  9. ^ De Morgen, May 14, 2006, page 8
  10. ^ (Dutch) Karel van Themsche's daughter Frieda's website - Biografie
  11. ^ WW2 Axis & Foreign Volunteer Legion awards & postal history - Flemish Feldpost
  12. ^ (Dutch) De clan Van Themsche is overtuigd maar ,,braaf" Vlaams-nationalistisch ("Van Themsche clan is convinced but "well-behaved" Flemish nationalistic"), Het Nieuwsblad, 13 May 2006.
  13. ^ (Dutch) Schutter Antwerpen had geen vooropgezet plan ("Shooter Antwerp didn't have premeditated plan"), Trouw.nl.
  14. ^ (Dutch) "Wij hoeven steun van Vlaams Belang niet" (" "We don't need support from Vlaams Belang" "), VRT Nieuws.
  15. ^ (Dutch) "Liefst geen affiche van Vlaams Belang" (" Preferably no poster from Vlaams Belang"), VRT Nieuws.net, with relevant videoclip from Het journaal (19h) May 17, 2006.
  16. ^ Het journaal (19h), VRT, May 19, 2006; statement by Karel De Gucht in actuality talk program Morgen beter, Canvas, May 19, 2006, quoted from (Dutch) "Niet alleen de extreem-rechtse partij Vlaams Belang is verantwoordelijk voor het klimaat van racisme, ook de kiezers van die partij zijn medeverantwoordelijk." ("Not only the extreme right party Vlaams Belang is responsible for the climate of racism, also the voters of that party are responsible") on vrtnieuws.net – including a video excerpt
  17. ^ Het journaal (19h), VRT, May 16, 2006.)
  18. ^ (Dutch) 45 procent vindt Vlaams Belang niet verantwoordelijk voor schietpartij ("45 percentt thinks Vlaams Belang not responsible for shooting"), Het Laatste Nieuws.
  19. ^ (Dutch) 58% zegt: «Moorden hebben geen verband met Vlaams Belang» ("58% says : "Murders have no relation to Vlaams Belang""), De Stemmenkampioen.
  20. ^ (Dutch) Gespannen sfeer tussen allochtone en autochtone jongeren in Mol ("Tense atmosphere between allochtone and autochtone youths in Mol"), Het Laatste Nieuws.
  21. ^ (Dutch) Rellen in Antwerpen na dood Marokkaan ("Riots in Antwerp after death Morrocan"), De Standaard.
  22. ^ (Dutch) 20 mensen opgepakt bij herdenking schietpartij Antwerpen ("20 people apprehended at Antwerp shooting memorial"), Het Laatste Nieuws.
  23. ^ (French) Un non bigarré au Belang ("A colourful No at the Belang"), La Libre Belgique, 15 May 2006
  24. ^ Het journaal (19h), VRT, May 17, 2006.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../h/a/n/Hans_Van_Themsche_8729.html"
In other languages