| Arnold Meijer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Arnoldus Jozephus Meijer May 5, 1905 Haarlemmermeer |
| Died | June 17, 1965 (aged 60) Oisterwijk |
| Citizenship | Dutch |
| Known for | Fascist politician |
| Opponent(s) | Roman-Catholic State Party, General Dutch Fascist League, Zwart Front |
| Religion | Roman Catholic Church |
Arnoldus Jozephus Meijer (5 May 1905, Haarlemmermeer – 17 June 1965, Oisterwijk) was a Dutch fascist politician.
Brought up a devout Roman Catholic and educated in a number of seminaries he soon became influenced by Wouter Lutkie, a Catholic priest and fascist.[1] After a brief stopover in the Roman-Catholic State Party, which he found far too moderate, Meijer began to write for the authoritarian De Rijkseenheid and the General Dutch Fascist League's De Fascist.[1] He soon joined the League and, having inherited money from his father, launched his own journal Zwart Front.[1] Rising to a position of influence in the League, he quarreled with leader Jan Baars and in 1934 split from the group, taking a number of followers with him.[1] Before long he had revived the Zwart Front name for his new movement and even visited Benito Mussolini with Lutkie to gain the fascist leader's approval.[1]
The Front failed to make much impact in elections, notably managing only 0.2% of the vote in the 1939 general election[2] (although Meijer managed a 21.4% vote share in Oisterwijk[1]). As a result it was absorbed into the new National Front in 1940.[1] This movement was banned on 13 December 1941 by the Nazis, largely due to their Catholicism.[3] Despite the ban Meijer was allowed to simply retire from politics.[1] Arrested in 1944 he escaped to Belgium but returned in 1946 to face a five year jail sentence.[1]
He was released from prison in 1948 and returned to politics, writing for the Aristo journal which was sympathetic to Lutkie.[1]
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