Flemish Secession hoax

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Fictional documentary about Flemish independence causes consternation in Belgium

Tout ça (ne nous rendra pas la Belgique) was a hoax perpetrated by the French speaking Belgian public TV station RTBF on Wednesday, December 13th 2006.

Regular programming on the channel La Une was interrupted for a news bulletin which claimed the Flemish parliament had unilaterally declared independence from Belgium, thereby ending the existence of the country. Interviews with prominent Belgian politicians (some of whom had been informed about the hoax) as well as staged footage of the evacuation of the royal family gave credence to the event.

The broadcast of the report led to some consternation in French-speaking Belgium. A hotline set up by the station was swamped by calls. Thirty minutes into the broadcast, on demand of the media minister of the French speaking community in Belgium, Fadila Laanan, an on-screen message identified it as a fiction.

The hoax was prepared over a period of 2 years under the codename BBB for Bye-bye Belgium.

Prominent Belgian politicians, including Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, Flemish Minister-President Yves Leterme and Walloon Minister-President Elio Di Rupo, condemned the report as "irresponsible". International reaction included an angry statement by Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg.^[1]

The hoax led to a polarization of opinions between the French and Dutch speaking Belgians. The hoax contributed to the hard stances of the political parties after elections of June 10th, 2007.^{[citation needed]}^[clarify] Which in turn left Belgium without a federal government for more than 6 months. For the first time, approval rates for an independent Flanders exceeded 40% (poll by Het Laatste Nieuws on November 5, 2007).